


Searching in the Shadows

by GallifreyGryffindorGirl



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Angst, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Identity Reveal, Not Canon Compliant, OC villain - Freeform, Original Character(s), Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Sorry Not Sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:07:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 163,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23899483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GallifreyGryffindorGirl/pseuds/GallifreyGryffindorGirl
Summary: Six years ago Hawkmoth was unmasked and Gabriel Agreste went to prison.Six years ago Adrien Agreste left Paris without a word to his friends.Six years ago Chat Noir said goodbye to Ladybug for the last time.Now, unexpectedly, Adrien Agreste is forced to return to Paris on business and though he doesn't want to meet with his old friends it seems luck is - yet again - against him. Marinette doesn't know what to think of the situation, and she doesn't have much time to dwell on it when a new threat rears its ugly head over her city. One that's targeting the miraculous holders and their guardian specifically.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, adri - Relationship
Comments: 147
Kudos: 352





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My laptop blue-screened on me so I lost a lot of work on my other miraculous fic, meaning I've lost a bit of the motivation I had to keep working on it while I try to remember which parts were lost. in the meantime, I decided to upload the start of something else I've been working on. I hope you enjoy!

“This is going to end in disaster” Marinette muttered, voice slightly muffled as she leaned forward in her seat, chin resting on her hand so she could chew on her nails.

Alya, who sat beside her and was able to hear her even as the room around them begin to fill with more people getting louder, didn’t look up from her phone screen as she replied, “that’s very optimistic of you.”

“What?” Nino, sitting on the other side of Alya, hadn’t heard the original comment and was mildly bewildered.

“Oh, she just said this is going to end in disaster” Alya glanced up at him, shrugging.

Nino shot Marinette a look, observing the way the dark-haired girl was leaning forwards in her seat, chewing her nails as she stared at the empty stage with an unblinking gaze that was oddly eerie. “What? Why!”

“Oh, it's fine” Alya soothed, finally putting her phone down and grinning up at him “she’s like this before every show.”

“Oh…” he sat back in his seat, letting out a sigh “wait, why?”

“I suspect it’s a mixture of anxiety, perfectionism, and a desperate lack of sleep since she ignores me when I’m trying to look out for her wellbeing” the redhead dissected, shooting a scrutinizing gaze at the girl beside her as she pretended to rub her chin thoughtfully.

“I can hear you” Marinette grumbled but didn’t tear her gaze off the stage. She did blink though, Nino noted.

Alya reached over, patting her best friends back lightly “I know you can, just like you also know that your designs are absolutely fantastic, and you have nothing to worry about.”

Mari sighed, finally tearing her gaze from the stage and sitting back in her seat as she looked at Alya and Nino “I know, I just worry. Maybe I should have used the chiffon for the skirt overlay- “

“The chiffon was too breezy, remember?” Alya soothed, repeating Marinette’s own comments back to her, though she didn’t actually know what Mari had meant when she’d called the chiffon ‘too breezy’ a few weeks ago. Despite Marinette thinking otherwise, the redhead did actually listen when she ranted about her designs during their girl nights.

“Yeah…”

Nino was lost by this conversation and began looking around the room as it filled up. He didn’t recognize anyone, but then again he didn’t really expect to. The fashion world was Marinette’s place of expertise, she could probably pick a few faces out of this crowd (perhaps Alya could too he supposed), but he certainly couldn’t. But he wanted to show Marinette his support, even if he wasn’t interested in fashion.

That was how it worked for them. Marinette ran her own fashion store online, though she hoped to have an actual shop and brand someday, she sometimes featured her designs at shows such as this or got to design for bigger companies. The shows weren’t often, but when they did happen he and Alya always attended for support – though usually, he was late he’d admit, and never privy to Mari’s pre-show nerves apparently.

In return, whenever Nino had a large even to DJ at Marinette and Alya always attended. It that respect he supposed he could see where her nerves were coming from – even he was nervous before a big show, and that was despite him DJ-ing in clubs and parties across the city almost every other night. Somehow, he always felt better though, when he looked out into the crowd and was able to see his girlfriend and best friend partying to his tunes. Even Alya, though presenting herself as confident, would often seek their approval whenever one of her big pieces was published in the newspaper she worked for. They were each other’s support system, and it wasn’t something any of them felt they could do without.

“Oh, Marinette!” a light feminine voice chirped over the din of the gathered crowd, and the three friends turned to see a petite young brunette woman making her way up the side of the stage towards them, waving cheerily.

“Sophia!” Mari greeted with a bright smile once she recognized who’d called her name, just as Sophia stood in front of them. “I love your dress!” Mari complimented, taking in the flowing mint green dress with a keen eye.

“Thank you, I got it on sale but don’t tell anyone here” Sophia whispered conspiratorially, grinning.

“Your secret is safe with me. Oh, let me introduce you. Alya, Nino, this is Sophia. She works at Agreste fashions as Mr Renard’s assistant.”

“Oh yes, Mr Renard would lose his own head if it wasn’t for me” Sophia winked.

“It’s nice to meet you” Alya shook the other woman’s hand “sorry to ask, but you have an accent I can’t quite place…”

“Ah, it’s a bit of everything I’m afraid. I travelled a lot growing up, but I suppose I started off Italian so…” Sophia chuckled, turning back to focus on Marinette “do you have a few designs in the show or are you just here to watch?”

“I have some designs up…”

“Oh good, I love your work. I better get back to my seat or the boss will wonder where I’ve gotten too. I’ll keep an eye out for your work!”

“Thank you, I’ll see you soon Sophia.”

“You to Marinette!” she grinned over her shoulder at them, heading off to walk around the stage to her seat on the other side of the runway.

“She seemed sweet” Nino commented once she was out of earshot.

“Hmm, I don’t know. Not sure I trust anyone who giggles that much in such a short conversation” Alya was staring after Sophia with a shrewd expression.

“Sure, you’re not just jealous your boyfriend is calling someone else ‘sweet’?” Mari teased, knowing Alya had a jealous streak.

“No way!” Alya blushed slightly. Nino grinned, leaning over to press a kiss to her red cheek, and Mari laughed.

“She’s always that energetic, it took me a few times meeting her to get used to it. She’s really nice though.”

“And it's not like you have to worry about me thinking anyone else is nice-“ Nino started, teasingly, before he was cut off.

“Oh, no way” Alya’s expression had changed, the blush on her cheeks replaced by wide eyes and her mouth slightly open in shock.

“What?” Nino and Marinette asked in unison, looking in the same direction across the stage but apparently not seeing whatever it was that Alya had seen.

“Look who Miss Giggles just sat next to.”

Searching through the crowd opposite them Marinette tried to find the mint green dress Sophia had been wearing, finding it easier to search for then to scan the crowd for a face. She spotted her quickly, sitting on the front row almost exactly opposite herself, Nino and Alya. When she looked at who was sitting beside Sophia, looking thoroughly disinterested as the bubbly brunette chatted away in his ear, she understood Alya’s shock.

After all, none of them had seen Adrien Agreste in six years.

He’d changed, but not so much that he wasn’t immediately recognizable. His hair was still a beautiful blonde, but it wasn’t as neat as he’d been forced to keep it in school, more like a styled mess. His jaw was more defined, and with just a little bit of stubble dusting his cheeks. He looked mature, and though she couldn’t quite place why, a tiny bit dangerous. Then again, perhaps that was just because of the frosty look on his face when she finally met those familiar green eyes that had once been so warm when she looked at him but now held all the warmth of an arctic tundra. She only had a few moments to wonder why he looked at them so coldly, as the second her gaze finally met his, Adrien looked away.

“Son of a bitch” Nino breathed on the other side of Alya.

“You can say that again” Alya agreed “did you just see the way he looked at us? I’ve gotten warmer looks from snowmen.”

Marinette hummed, agreeing slightly “you’d think he’d be a bit happier to see his old friends.”

“Friends?” Nino laughed harshly “he left us without a word Marinette, I’m not sure we ever were friends. More like distractions.”

“Nino…” Mari frowned at him “I don’t think that’s entirely fair… the situation wasn’t exactly simple. How would you feel if it had been your father who turned out to be a supervillain?”

“He still could have reached out” Nino protested bitterly, picking imaginary lint from his pants “or better yet, answered when we reached out. How many times did you try calling him? Because I lost could of how many times I tried.”

Marinette didn’t argue with him. She too had forgotten how many times she tried reaching out to Adrien after his father was arrested, but she knew she continued trying for almost a whole year. He never answered her calls or responded to her emails, and all of her messages usually resulted in being left frustratingly on ‘read’ but with no efforts to reply. She didn’t know how long Nino had tried for, but there had been another motive to her efforts besides reaching out to her friend. After all, _she_ was Ladybug. _She_ was the one who put his father in prison, even if Adrien didn’t know it, and it had taken her a long time to get over the guilt of that.

Despite everything that had happened, and even after she too had given up trying to contact him, Marinette was still compelled to check up on Adrien now and again. She supposed that years of stalking his schedule at school made the habit hard to break. She didn’t look him up as often as she used to, back when she was still working through the guilt of putting his father in prison, but she knew bits. Like how he had re-branded the Gabriel fashion’s line into just ‘Agreste fashions’, and worked to make the company less exclusive which meant that even freelancer’s like her had been able to submit designs to the company. Last time she’d looked him up was over a year ago now, when he’d donated a small fortune towards the still ongoing Akuma recovery fund – a charity that worked on providing support and therapy for the victims of Hawkmoth, because as it turns out having your emotions manipulated like that effected people quite badly. People still struggled with it even so many years later, and despite Ladybug’s cure often fixing the damage caused by their akumatization.

“Just ignore him babe” Alya reached out, clasping Nino’s hand in her own. “Lord knows he’s ignored us long enough; we don’t owe him another thought. Let’s just concentrate on the show, it should be starting soon. Then we’ll go to a bar, and drink just a few too many in celebration of Marinette’s accomplishments, and suffer unreasonable headaches for much more fun reasons in the morning.”

Nino grinned at his girlfriend, lifting their clasped hands so he could press a kiss to the back of her hand “It sounds like a brilliant idea babe. Love you.”

Alya smiled at him sweetly, then turned to look at Marinette. The dark-haired girl raised an eyebrow “I love you too, but I’m not kissing your hand.”

The three burst into raucous laughter, though they were forced to tame it down to giggles when the lights dimmed and the music began announcing the start of the show. None of them noticed the green eyes that had lingered on them across the stage just a moment longer.


	2. Chapter Two

“Its Giiiiiiirls Night!” Alya sang loudly, placing yet another tray of fruity drinks on the table already littered with empty of half-full glasses.

“You’re a bad influence on me” Mari sighed, reaching for another drink despite herself. after the fashion show the night before she’d allowed herself to be dragged into a bar by Nino and Alya, and like the other girl had promised she’d woken up with a significant headache that morning and the promise not to drink so much again for at least a little while, completely forgetting that they’d arranged for a girls night with the old gang for that night. She’d tried to back out, she did have a meeting the next day and was supposed to help in the bakery first thing in the morning, but somehow found herself seated at a table between Alya and Rose without much memory of how she actually got there.

“Yeah, but you love it” Alya stuck out her tongue.

“Besides Marinette, she’s probably the only reason you have any excitement in your otherwise vanilla life” Chloe snarked across the table from her, but there was no real bite in the insult. The blonde had matured… slightly, over the years since graduation. At least enough that she was tolerable enough to be invited to the girl’s nights with everyone else.

Marinette blinked at Chloe. She half wondered what the other girl would think of her ‘vanilla’ life if she knew she often swung across rooftops with a magical yoyo wearing a skin-tight suit, fighting crime if she found it, with more than a few scars from the last few years to prove it. Instead, she just shrugged one shoulder, as though agreeing, and sipped the green drink she’d chosen off the tray.

“Oh I don’t know Chloe” Alix piped up from where she sat on the other side of Rose, with Juleka on her other side “its usually the vanilla ones you need to look out for, they’re getting 'excitement' all right, just not where we can see it… if you catch my drift” she wiggled her eyebrows.

Marinette spat out her drink and the girls fell into peels of laughter that had other people in the bar glancing over at their table.

“I don’t hear Marinette denying it” Sabrina agreed, smirking. The girl had really come out of her shell after graduation, or rather after she’d gotten away from Chloe for a while. She still considered the blonde her best friend, but she was a lot more capable of standing up for herself against her if she didn’t want to do something or didn’t agree with her. It led to a much more solid, healthy, relationship between the two which had then led to them opening an art gallery together. It was because of the gallery that Chloe had ended up dating Nathaniel, reconnecting with him a few months ago. Apparently, Marc had moved to London, and though they’d tried to do long distance, it just didn’t work out.

“I’m sorry, I was busy choking” Marinette coughed, waving a hand.

“Yeah, I bet she says that a lot when she’s getting her secret rocks off” Alix snarked.

“No, no, no secret rocks no!” Mari denied now that she could breathe properly, waving her hands frantically, but no one was listening. The girls where too busy laughing themselves to tears, and she couldn’t help finding it infectious and laughing with them.

Once recovered, Mylene changed the subject by asking “how did the fashion show go yesterday Marinette, you had a few pieces entered didn’t you?”

“Oh, it went really well actually. I’ve had a few people in contact to buy the designs already actually.”

“Oh!” Alya suddenly sat up straight, leaning into the table to get the girl's attention “speaking of the fashion show, you’ll never guess who was saw while we were there.”

“Who?” the mildly tipsy, enraptured, girls asked in a not-so-hushed whisper.

“Adrien Agreste.”

“What?” Sabrina’s eyebrows sprang up.

“No. Way” Alix leaned back in her chair.

“Yes way” the redhead snickered, delighted with their shocked response.

“Did you talk to him?” Rose queried.

“No” Alya looked down at her drink, using a straw to try and impale a bit of offending ice “you should have seen the look he gave us when he saw us. It was like he hated us…”

“Whoa, really?” Juleka asked, looking at Marinette who just nodded.

“I don’t get it. He’s the one who left without a word, and I get why he left but…” Alya moped into her drink, still not looking at anyone.

Chloe rested an elbow on the table so she could rest her head on her hand as she stirred her own drink absentmindedly. “Adrien changed after his dad’s arrest…”

All the girls looked at the blonde, who normally would soak up that kind of attention but this time looked at them with a kind of melancholic expression “I’ve seen him a few odd times since, usually when I’ve travelled with my dad to some of the more prestigious fashion events in Milan. He’s always so… cold… honestly, he kind of reminds me of his dad.”

“Creepy” Alix shuddered. They had all met Gabriel at least once or at least met him through a tablet screen when he’d failed to turn up for a career’s day event properly and had addressed the class with a brief speech about business that lasted less than five minutes. Marinette remembered how upset Adrien had seemed that day, though he’d brushed aside her concern for him with a smile. She couldn’t imagine him ever acting like his father, but then she had been on the receiving end of his glare last night…

The conversation topic changed, as Sabrina announced to them a brilliant deal she and Chloe and made with an upcoming local artist to display his work in their gallery. Marinette was only half listening though, still taking tiny sips of her drink so she didn’t have to talk much. If seemed like her mind was stuck on Adrien, no matter how much she tried to think of something else, it was like her fourteen-year-old self and taken over her head. Though her thoughts were a lot less lovesick than they were back then. She couldn’t help feeling sad for him. He’d been one of her best friends after all, and because of his stupid father’s crime, it seemed he’d become a cold shell of his former self. Still, a small part of herself whispered that it was all her fault – she had put his father in prison after all – but she stamped that part down hard. Gabriel Agreste deserved prison for what he’d done… if it was anyone’s fault that Adrien had turned out the way he was now, it was Gabriel’s.

When it had gone slightly quiet again Marinette stood from her seat, draining the last of her drink. “Sorry to cut it short ladies but I need to go, I have to help my dad In the bakery first thing in the morning and that’s not something I want to do hungover.” 

“Aww, come on. You only had two drinks, Mari!” Alya whined.

“And it’s barely ten o’clock” Alix tapped her watch.

Mari shrugged, backing away from them towards the door “like I said, not something I want to do hungover. Next time, I’ll drink twice as much if it will please you, promise.”

“I’ll hold you to that, you’ll be dancing on the tables, Dupain-Cheng!” she heard Chloe yelling as the door swung shut on their laughter.

Marinette chuckled, tucking her hands in her pockets and walking down the street as she looked around. Winter nights in Paris were freezing, and her jacket though fashionable was lacking in warmth, with her breath fogging in the air each time she breathed out Mari had no urges to linger on the streets and as soon as she was sure it was clear she ducked into the nearest dark ally and opened her purse.

Tikki sat inside, her arms folded across her tiny chest as she looked at Marinette with a thoroughly unimpressed expression. “I still don’t like you going out drinking before patrol.”

“I know Tikki” Mari sighed, leaning against the wall behind her as the kwami floated up to eye level “I don’t either, but it would raise suspicions if I kept backing out of things last minute. Hopefully, we can have a quick peaceful patrol though.”

“I might be good luck, but I don’t think even we’re that lucky” Tikki sighed “and your right, being Ladybug shouldn’t stop you having a life. I just worry, what if you drank too much and needed to transform? The transformation helps you metabolise things faster, but I wouldn’t like to think…”

“I wouldn’t either, that’s why I only had two. I can handle two” Mari rubbed her kwami’s head affectionately “now, what do you say we get this done, then I can get you some cookies?”

“You know the magic words.”

“Spots on?” Mari asked, though the phrase still triggered the transformation, she couldn’t help giggling when she heard Tikki’s voice as she was pulled into the earrings.

“No, cookies!”

****

Since Hawkmoths defeat, and the return of both the butterfly and peacock miraculous to Master Fu’s safekeeping, patrolling the city had become more of a duty than a necessity. There as no risk of random citizens being akumatized after all, but that didn’t mean there was no crime in the city at all, and Ladybug was more than happy to lend a hand where she was needed.

Besides, though she’d not admit it to anyone if she was ever asked, she’d miss the thrill of racing over rooftops and swinging on her yoyo if she ever gave it up. It was why she never understood Chat Noir’s decision to leave.

At least, that’s what she thought he’d done. The last time she’d seen him was after they watched Gabriel Agreste being driven away from their final fight in the back of a police car. They’d both been numb, shocked she guessed that it was finally… over. That’s the last thing he’d said to her. That it was over. She didn’t know what he’d meant then, as he extended his baton and left the scene to who knows where. She didn’t follow him. Sometimes, she wished she had. She’d never seen him again after that. for the first few weeks, she’d been confused, she’d tried to get in contact with him, she’d even gone as far as to check with Master Fu if he’d returned his miraculous (he hadn’t). Weeks turned into months, and she began to accept that Chat Noir… didn’t want to be Chat Noir anymore. It wasn’t until she saw the first post on the Ladyblog, footage sent in by a fan from New York, of Chat Noir in the big apple American city. A few weeks later, another video. Chat Noir in some city in Greece. Then another, this time he as in Italy. He’d been sighted all over the world in fact. That’s when it had dawned on her, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to be Chat Noir anymore. He just didn’t want to be her partner anymore.

It hurt. It hurt her far more than she’d expected, and she’d cried harder over Chat Noir leaving her than she had over Adrien leaving which had surprised her. Then again even if she had a terrible crush on Adrien, it was Chat Noir who she was closer with. Who she shared secrets with, who she rambled to aimlessly about nothing as they walked the Paris skyline under the stars – just a pair of stupid kids, looking for trouble. At some point, she came to terms with the fact she’d probably taken Chat for granted a bit, had always thought he’d be there for her, despite her harshly turning down his declarations of his feelings every time he tried… because of a crush on a boy who’d never seen her properly. She’d spent countless nights unable to sleep, wondering how things might have been different if she’d ever given him a chance. But it was too little too late. She missed him, but he had moved on from Paris, and from her.

Master Fu had tried to convince her to partner with another miraculous holder, though the only other permanent ones where Rena Rogue and Carapace. He’d suggesting handing out the bee miraculous permanently, so she had someone to work with, but Ladybug refused him. Chat was or had been, the only partner she wanted to work with. It was partially her fault he was gone; she didn’t want another partner. She didn’t feel she deserved one. It had led to a few sticky situations and more than a bit of recklessness on her part over the last few years, after particularly bad times Tikki sometimes threatened to go to Master Fu herself and demand he just pick a partner for Ladybug despite Marinette’s protests. Tikki never did though.

She suspected it was because her kwami knew exactly how she felt. They’d talked about it often after Chat first left. The Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous where intertwined after all. Ying and yang, good luck and bad luck, creation and destruction. The other didn’t work as well without the other, and Marinette could feel it. Like there was a missing puzzle piece, but she couldn’t see it, even though she knew what it was. She knew Tikki could feel it too. The kwami’s of creation and destruction belonged together, being apart – Tikki had once told her, back when they first met so she wasn’t sure she remembered telling her – felt almost like a physical pain to them. Marinette tried to supply Tikki with extra cookies and other treats these days, but she couldn’t help feeling her kwami was not as happy as she had been years ago when Chat was still around.

So now Ladybug stood alone on her patrols, often not much more than a spotted blur in the dark unless you were up to no good.

The Ladybug outfit had changed over the years, actually a few months after Hawkmoth’s defeat. It had confused her at first and led to some speculation on the Ladyblog after a photo was posted that she wasn’t the same Ladybug, but Tikki only reassured her that the costume changed as she got older. There was more black now, which suited her better she thought. Solid black strips on her sides, and under her arms, across the waist and down the insides of her legs. It was flattering, she thought, and less obvious in the dark than the bright red. But she could see why people speculated that she was a different person when they saw her now because in a way she was different. She had been seventeen when they defeated Hawkmoth, she was now in her early twenties. Her eyes never changed, but the rest of her did. Including her hair, which she’d let grow out in the last few years so it now ended in the middle of her back when she left it loose – when she transformed, however, her hair ended up pulled into a bun on top her hair, held up by a spotted band. She was no longer a girl, she was a young woman, and she never quite managed to feel like it more than when she was transformed as Ladybug.

She swung her yoyo to escape the alley where she transformed and ran along the rooftops, swinging her yoyo where she needed, climbing higher and higher until she was on the rooftops of the highest buildings and breathing in the cold December air harshly at the exertion. It still never got any less thrilling to her, looking out over the lights of the city with a grin as she leaned over the edge of the building using her yoyo wrapped around a nearby flagpole to really lean. It sent her heart thundering in her chest, making her feel alive. She finally let her yoyo loose, letting herself drop from the building, throwing it after free-falling for a moment and swinging her body into a wide arch to land on yet another nearby rooftop. She laughed, she couldn’t help it, alone in the night with nothing but her own company and adrenaline coursing through her system. Then carried on her patrol, jumping from the roof again.

She always ended her patrol at about midnight, near her own neighbourhood so she could transform near home and walk so as not to arouse suspicions of her secret identity. She lived in a nice area, not brilliant, in walking distance of the seine and the bakery. She liked it, it was peaceful, so she lingered on a particular rooftop just to savour the night.

She didn’t expect to see anyone else as she was looking around. Least of all him.

A few buildings away, leaning on the railing of a balcony, she met the stare of Adrien Agreste for the second time in as many days. Still a bright vivid green, but his expression was not cold like it had been last night. Actually, there was no expression there at all. He was staring right at her, he knew she had spotted him, but he didn’t look away. Maybe he was surprised. She knew he’d been a big fan of Ladybug when they were teenagers because Nino used to tease him about it relentlessly. He’d been gone for years, maybe he didn’t know she was still around without his father threatening the city.

He must live there, she guessed, still watching him. Even from the distance, she could see he was, or rather had been, wearing a suit. Probably similar to the one she’d seen him in the day before. He was still wearing the trousers, but there was no jacket and he’d unbuttoned the shirt to leave his torso exposed to the winter breeze. There was a glass in one of his hands, though she couldn’t make out if there was anything still in it. Maybe that was why he was staring; he was probably wondering if she was a hallucination caused by drinking too much booze or something.

She considered going over. Maybe he’d be a bit more friendly to her in the mask than he would be if Marinette approached him. She found herself strangely annoyed by that though. Everyone loved Ladybug, but it felt people rarely thought about the girl under the mask – Adrien had a very obvious celebrity crush on Ladybug, she suddenly found herself irrationally annoyed that if he’d maybe looked just a bit closer he might have figured out that Ladybug’s civilian half liked him too! Besides that, it wasn’t Ladybug who had been his friend. That was Marinette. And he didn’t exactly seem to be on friendly terms with her.

Suddenly angry, hurt and confused Ladybug turned away from him abruptly and swung her yoyo desperate to get out of Adrien Agreste’s sight.


	3. Chapter Three

The downside of an office with an entire wall made of windows was that there was no way to prevent the harsh midmorning sunlight currently filtering in and making his eyes water. Then again, Adrien mused, this might teach him a lesson about staying up into the early hours of the morning drinking whisky.

Recalling his night made him remember her, and he groaned, rubbing his burning eyes with the balls of his hands and getting up from his desk. He’d not be getting any work done like this, he needed some coffee, thankfully he’d asked his assistant to fetch some earlier. While he was waiting, he walked over to the windows, looking down at his view while he waiting, ignoring the way the light stung his eyes.

Seeing Ladybug last night had been a shock, to say the least. At first, he thought he was seeing things, of course, he knew she was still very much active in the city – he kept up with the Ladyblog – but he didn’t expect to actually see her himself. He’d hoped to avoid it actually. Then again it wasn’t exactly like they’d had a conversation… though, he swore he saw a thousand things on her face when she’d stared right back at him the night before. Shock, hurt, anger… he deserved it, more than she knew of course. He was the son of her enemy, and he was the partner who abandoned her.

He seemed to be running into memories more and more the longer he stayed in Paris. It was a shock when, on his first night back in the city, he’d come face to face with his old best friends. The look on their faces when they had seen him… the surprise, which had soon morphed into something hard and angry. Again, he deserved it. the only one who hadn’t looked at him like that was Marinette, and in fact, she was the reason he’d turned around in the first place. It was a contradiction really, while he was in the city he hadn’t wanted to run into anyone he once knew, and yet when Sophia had told him about a budding designer in the show and used her name… he hadn’t been able to resist looking. He’d both hoped and dreaded it would be her. Yet, while Alya and Nino had looked on in anger, her expression had become something different, something he couldn’t quite pin… though if he had to guess, he’d have said she looked guilty. But what would she have to be guilty about? 

Then again, he supposed as he leaned against the window with one arm up to rest his head on, this was Marinette. She probably felt guilty she hadn’t tried harder to reach out to him when he left, despite her being the one who tried the hardest out of everyone. He didn’t deserve it of course. She should hate him. But did Marinette ever hate anyone? Besides Lila, anyway. She was kindness personified, of course, she wouldn’t hate him, but he wished she would. It would make it so much easier to stop himself from being tempted to slip into his old life. He didn’t deserve her friendship, even if she was willing to offer it.

“Knock knock,” Sophia said as she opened the office door instead of actually knocking, when he looked over his shoulder at her with a raised eyebrow she had the sense to look embarrassed “uh, sorry Mr Agreste. Excuse my intrusion but my arms where full…”

She only came further into the room when he nodded, even then her smile was uncertain. He felt a little bad, Sophia was a nice girl and he knew his expression and silence was making her nervous. He couldn’t drop the façade though if he did, he wasn’t sure he could put it back. Instead, he approached slowly, watching the small brunette as she placed a cardboard box on the coffee table in the centre of his office, as well as the travel mug of coffee, before she straightened to hand him a set of red folders directly.

“What are these?” he asked, keeping his voice toneless on purpose.

“They’re the submissions from some of our freelance designers for the spring line…” Sophia explained wringing her hands under his glare “uh, Mr Renard always insisted on going through the designs himself to select the ones he wanted to include… I thought you might want to do the same, sir.”

Adrien considered the folders. There were only a dozen, it wouldn’t take him much time to go over them at all. Besides, he was a little curious about how the inclusion of designers outside of the Agreste brand was working out. It was a proposal he’d had some backlash about when he’d taken over the company from his father and decided to change how things were done. Some of their business partners, suppliers and stores that sold the Agreste brand had even dropped them over it, for fear the products would not be of the same quality as before. Adrien didn’t care, he wasn’t in business to make money. He was there to try and repent his father’s crimes if anything.

“I’ll look at them” he nodded, turning around to dismiss Sophia as he took the coffee and folders back to his desk. She took the hint, and left the office promptly – almost at a run, he noted – shutting the door behind her.

He sipped his coffee, making sure she would not come back before he spoke. “Your cheese is here, eat it before it stinks up my office.”

Plagg’s head appeared from behind a bookend on the shelf near the door, his whiskers twitching before he flew towards the white box on the coffee table. He rubbed his greedy little paws together, licking his lips in anticipation, and flipped the lid of the box off to reveal the wheel of camembert inside. He floated over it, taking in a deep exaggerated breath, before drifting down to land on top of it.

“Ohhh, I’ve missed you cheese. This is why I missed Paris. The Camembert just isn’t the same in all those other countries.”

Adrien snorted, flipping open the first folder of his pile. “Don’t get used to it, we’re not staying.”

“But whyyy?” the kwami wined, rolling around on his cheese now.

“I don’t know, maybe because this is the place where my father terrorised people and I ended up throwing him in prison?”

Plagg rolled his eyes, sitting up on the cheese “kid, we’ve talked about this and even you agree that your rotten father deserves prison, the fact you’re the one who helped put him there is just… very bad luck. But that doesn’t mean you should keep running from it.”

Adrien fixed the black cat with his best stern glare, the kind that made his employees shuffle past him nervously or just run out of the room altogether, but it didn’t work on the kwami.

Instead, Plagg grinned “all your friends are in Paris, why not stay?”

“They’re not my friends… not anymore.”

“You didn’t exactly give them a choice in that.”

Adrien didn’t respond to that. True, he didn’t give them a choice. He’d left without talking to anyone, he thought it was best that way.

“Ladybug’s in Paris” Plagg tried instead.

“Doesn’t matter Plagg” Adrien shook his head “its been six years anyway, I’d be lucky if she didn’t tie me to the Eifel tower with her yoyo for leaving without telling her.”

“True, but I’d enjoy seeing that” Plagg cackled.

“Thanks, why are we friends again?”

Plagg wrinkled his nose “because I’m amazing and you got caught in the gravitational pull of my awesomeness.”

Adrien actually chuckled at that, though he tried to hide it by sipping his coffee again.

His kwami heard his laughter anyway, little triangular ear twitching, but he didn’t comment on that. Instead, he looked at his chosen, the heavy bags under his eyes and the pile of files in front of him. This wasn’t what Adrien had wanted to do with his life as a kid, Plagg knew. He’d had his own dreams, his own ambitions, but all of that went out of the window because of his stupid father just like always. Plagg had never thought it was possible for him to hate so much on behalf of someone else, but he did. He hated Gabriel for everything he’d made Adrien do that the boy had never wanted. Now he was a young man, and try as he might he was still living under Gabriel’s shadow, even if he didn’t see it himself.

“I’m just sayin’ kid” Plagg sighed “you got to settle down somewhere eventually, have an actual home. And Paris has good cheese.”

Adrien shook his head, putting down the file he was browsing and picking up another. He wouldn’t take real estate advice off his kwami based on cheese preferences, that much he knew. Plagg seemed to sense it was the end of the conversation because his full attention was now on the wheel of Camembert that he’d finally taken his first bite of.

He turned his full focus on the designs in his hands. The first file had been good, of course, that was to be expected since they were being considered for the Agreste brand, but nothing had really stood out about it to make it different. The second file, however, intrigued him. The designer has included the photographs that had inspired the outfits, apparently taking inspiration from the city itself. He was most taken the design of two dresses. They were of the same fit, skater style with a V neck, embroidered on the bottom of the skirt was the city skyline, he recognised some of the buildings and the Eiffel tower silhouette. The impressive part was that the design was made for early morning and night colours, the night themed dress even featuring the lights of the city in the embroidery. He inspected the photos closely of the city the designer had used for the skyline, impressed he couldn’t find a flaw and it had been copied exactly onto the design of the skirt… though, he did notice an odd pattern on one side of the seam. He stared at it hard, an odd sense of de-Ja-Vu, until he had the inclination to turn the design around. Then he could read it.

Marinette.

It was her name, her signature, on the dress that she – of course – had designed.

He almost laughed. Of course, it was her design, he couldn’t imagine anyone else being so precise, or ambitious. He should have expected she’d be one of the designers, she’d been brilliant when they where in school it was clear she’d only improved her techniques since then. Adrien found it odd, a smile working its way onto his lips, that he had this growing sense of pride in his old friend. She was living her dream, then again he’d never expected anything to stop her. Clumsy though she was, and somewhat prone to doubting herself, nothing had ever stopped Marinette when she was determined. He was glad to see that hadn’t changed.

Then, his smile began to fade. This meant he’d have to see her now. He was required to meet all the freelance designers about their submissions, he’d be forced to meet with Marinette. He almost growled in frustration. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see her, or Alya or Nino or even Chloe, it that if he did… well. Staying away was better for them, they didn’t want to get involved with him again. he hadn’t even seen his father since he was sentenced and yet he still got plagued by the occasional gossip rags just to re-drag his name through the mud. His old friends were doing well, their lives everything they wanted them to be, he didn’t want to risk that being ruined by associating with him.

Yet, he couldn’t help but wonder, how would Marinette feel about meeting him again? He knew when they where young she’d had a crush on him. She’d accidentally confessed it once, and he’d turned her down because of his infatuation with Ladybug. He would be lying if there weren’t times after that when he didn’t wonder if he’d made a huge mistake.

They had remained friends after that, though he noticed for a while she wasn’t as happy as she used to be and not as available to hang out often using the excuse that she needed to help in the bakery or had homework. Whenever she’d excuse herself he’d find himself on the receiving end of a glare from Alya, so it wasn’t hard to figure out that she was avoiding hanging out with him in particular, but it was inevitable they would see each other often still. Their best friends dated, and they had classes together after all. He made an effort to make sure she was still comfortable around him, and eventually, after a while, the excuses stopped, and she smiled more often. He didn’t know if that meant she was over him, but he was glad nonetheless to have her back as his friend.

He remembered seeing her at the fashion show. She’d grown up a lot since they last saw each other, then again so had he. She’d let her hair grow long, as she’d left it loose that night. He had rarely seen her with her hair down before, but she always looked pretty with it down. That night she’d looked stunning, the dark tresses framing her place freckled face, and smokey eye makeup framing her bluebell eyes. She hadn’t worn a dress as so many other women in attendance had, he noticed. Instead, she’d worn black pants and a red shirt of a flowing glittering fabric that fell in a loose scoop around her neck and chest. He’d almost been tempted to go over, to talk to his old friends, to tell Marinette how much she suited red.

Until he remembered how much they should hate him instead.

He sighed, closing the file on Marinette’s designs. Before he met any of these designers, he’d have to get himself in check, dwelling on the past and revelling in the nostalgia of the few happy memories he had of his childhood. He wasn’t here to make friends or reconcile with old ones. He had one thing to focus on, and he couldn’t – wouldn’t - be distracted.


	4. Chapter Four

“You’ve got a little something on your face sweetheart.”

Marinette looked up at her father in surprise, wiping at her face with her wrists since her hands where covered in flour from the dough she was kneading in the back room of the bakery. She looked at him expectantly, wanting to know if she’d removed the offending stain from her face, only for her mouth to fall open in surprise when her father reached over and smeared some of the blue icing he was working with on her nose.

“Daaad!” she half whined, half laughed, wiping her wrist against her nose.

“I couldn’t resist” her dad snickered, picking up the tray of blue iced cupcakes to take into the front for the display “you look so serious and grown-up, I almost miss when you were my little girl helping me ice these cakes every morning.”

Mari looked at her father, feeling her expression softening. It wasn’t unusual for him to be so sentimental, he had absolutely no problems expressing how much he loved his wife and daughter, but it never failed to make her miss her parents. As stupid as that sometimes felt, considering she still saw them very often and didn’t live too far away. She loved her apartment, she loved having her space all to herself, but she missed those nights when she was struggling with a design and she would come down from her room and discuss it with her parents over a cup of hot chocolate. Half the time she knew they didn’t know what she was talking about, especially when she started ranting about different stitches or threads, but they always listened and offered whatever advice they could. 

“I miss it too” she finally said, turning back to the dough on the table.

Her father smiled, then disappeared with the cupcakes. Marinette helped at the bakery whenever her parents needed her, but she wondered perhaps if she should offer to help more often. She really did miss helping in the bakery. She was only helping that morning because they hadn’t been able to bring in enough of their usual employees to help while her mother was attending a convention where she hoped to find a few new suppliers for the bakery.

She split the dough she had been kneading and shaped into rolls, adding them to the tray she’d already prepared for the oven behind her that kept the back room of the bakery nice and warm. When the tray was full, she picked it up, walking over to the oven and wincing ever so slightly when she felt a twinge in her ankle.

It was just her luck really. After finishing her patrol last night, and the unexpected not-quite-run-in with Adrien, she’d wanted nothing more than to go home and climb under her covers. Too bad, of course, that the universe decided to have other plans and she’d happened to swing by just in time to stop an attempted mugging barely two streets away from her apartment. Unfortunately, the two would-be muggers where cocky, more brawn than brains she suspected and emboldened by the little switch knives the brandished like full broad swords. The fight was nothing compared to how it used to be when she was fighting akuma’s nearly every day, but one of them did manage to get a good slice to her ankle, and she had a noticeable limp that morning.

When she’d marched the two imbeciles to the nearest police station to turn them in she couldn’t tell what had annoyed her more, the pain in her ankle or the fact they’d attempted to mug someone in her own damn neighbourhood. Not that they knew that of course, but still, it irritated her.

She set the buns into the oven and limped over to the sink to wash her hands, sitting on a stool once she was finished so she could rub at her sore ankle lightly through the thick winter tights she was wearing. She had put a bandage over the cut, but she didn’t want to put too much pressure on it in case she made the cut bleed again.

“Marinette?” her father poked his head back into the room, frowning slightly when he saw her rubbing her ankle “are you okay, do you need some ice for that ankle?”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. Just a bit sore” she reassured him. When he had noticed her limp first thing that morning she’d lied on the spot and told him she’d twisted it while wearing heels. She didn’t like lying to her parents, but it was an unfortunate necessity when you’re a secret superhero, and she’d had years of practice to become good at it.

“Alright honey, if you say so” he didn’t look so certain, the frown never leaving his face “are you going soon, you have a meeting with Mr Renard, don’t you?”

“Oh damn!” Mari jumped up – wincing again when she forgot about her ankle and pain shot up her calf – and looking at the clock as she tried to undo her apron in a hurry. Her father laughed, watching her scramble. Some things about his daughter would never change, no matter how old she got.

“Here, let me help” he offered, coming up behind her and undoing the mess she’d made with the apron ties in her hurry. He had her free for its clutches in only seconds, before pointing to a box on the countertop outside “I put together some treats for you to take with you.”

“Thank you, papa,” Mari dusted herself of any flour that might have gotten on her clothes through the apron and asked “do I look okay? No flour, or icing, anywhere?”

Her dad made her spin before giving her the thumbs up for an all clear. She kissed his cheek, grabbing her coat, purse, and the box of treats he’d made before heading out of the bakery as quickly as her sore ankle would allow.

She always got nervous before these meetings, even though Mr Renard – the CEO of the Paris branch of rebranded Agreste fashions – was one of the nicest men she’d met. He was older, at least in his sixties, not that you would think it with his behaviour sometimes with a shock of white hair on his head, chocolate brown eyes and a bit of a pot belly. She had been freelance designing for Agreste fashions for two years now, she’d met with him plenty of times, and formed a good working-relationship with him in that time. Enough to know he kept tropical fish and sang in a barber shop quartet, he’d taken great delight it telling her about their renditions of Jagged Stones songs, something she struggled to imagine as a barber shop quartet. After she found out how much he loved her parent's bakery Marinette had always been sure to bring some treats to their meetings, especially once he’d expressed that since his arthritis in his knees prevented him from taking long walks anymore he’d not had much chance to go to the bakery like he used to.

Of course, she couldn’t bring treats for him and no one else, which meant that when she walked through the glass doors to the immaculately kept building she was immediately greeted with a smile by the three security guards at the front desk.

“Marinette, we didn’t know you were coming in today” one of them teased, nodding not so slightly to the cups of coffee and a stack of napkins they had already prepared ahead of her bringing them sweets.

“Oh yes, very underprepared, however, will you cope” she rolled her eyes playfully, but opened the box to offer them something from the bakery. the three young men jumped up, their eyes wide and hungry, as they selected an eclair, macaron and croissant each. They thanked her, then sent her up to the eighth floor where Mr Renard’s office was.

“Marinette!” Sophia’s voice rang in the otherwise empty waiting area the second the elevator doors opened.

“Sophia, it’s nice to see you again” Mari smiled, walking to the brunette’s desk. Sophia had a pile of papers at her elbow that looked like they were threatening to topple onto her at the slightest breeze “Mr Renard keeping you busy then?”

“Oh, no” Sophia’s cheerful expression fell slightly “didn’t you hear? Mr Renard had a heart attack last week, completely unexpected!”

“Oh no, is he okay?” Mari was shocked, nearly dropping the pastry box as she offered Sophia something from it.

“He’s okay, thank god” Sophia took a chocolate muffin from the box, smiling in thanks as she continued “but he decided to retire, said the heart attack really put things in perspective for him and he wants to spend more time with his grandkids.”

“I can understand that” Mari nodded; Mr Renard adored his family. He’d often showed her pictures of his grandchildren during their meetings. She shuffled her feet awkwardly “so… I hate to ask, by if Mr Renard isn’t here is my meeting-?”

“Oh, don’t worry. They’re looking for someone to replace Mr Renard, but your meeting is still going ahead, the boss is here to oversee until a new CEO is hired. The show must go on, as they say”

Relief flowed over her. “That’s good. I don’t suppose you know who-?”

She was about to ask who her meeting was going to be with, considering she’d never met with anyone besides Mr Renard about the designs before. When she’d first started it was unexpected, meeting with a CEO about just the designs – she’d expected to meet someone high up, but certainly not the person in charge. She’d expressed that surprise at her first meeting with Mr Renard, and the old man had laughed and said that while he may not have the most detailed eye for design it was encouraged for all the higher ups to be involved with the freelancers they worked with. It still didn’t make much sense to her, but she didn’t question it again after that. with Mr Renard gone, she expected to meet with the design head or someone similar – instead, she was shocked when the office door behind Sophia opened and Adrien stepped out.

“Miss Dupain-Cheng?” he asked. He said her name blankly, with no hint of recognition, and she found herself wondering for just a second if he’d actually forgotten her. His emerald gaze flicked up and down, but it was enough to make her glad she’d dressed with this meeting in mind that morning.

She had a white fitted blouse on, with short puffed sleeves made of light fabric, and black buttons on the front leading up to a black ribbon tied in a bow around the collar. It matched well with the thick winter black and white plaid skirt she also wore, that rested just above her knees, though her modesty was kept in check by the thick black tights. She finished look off with a pair of ankle boots, a wool trench coat, and a black cross-body purse.

Mari had stared at him in surprise when he opened the door, and only shook herself from that stupor when he arched an eyebrow at her impatiently. She nodded, unable to find her voice for a second, and followed him when he stalked back into the office letting the door fall shut behind her.

“Have a seat” he instructed her, waving to the single leather chair opposite the desk to the one he was sitting in. She did as he asked, feeling the nerves that she’d had on a low simmer since she left the bakery suddenly jump to a full boil in her stomach.

He watched her closely the entire time, the green eyes she remembered being so warm, narrowed to track her every movement. She tried offering a friendly smile, though she was sure it was a bit shaky with her nerves going haywire, and had to resist the twitch of her hand that wanted to give him an awkward wave over the desk. 

“I’ve been going over your design submissions for the spring line” he did not return her smile, instead dragging a red folder off a pile next to him and opening it “your work is good, I can see why Mr Renard regarded you so highly in his notes. I’ve discussed it with the head of design, and we’d like to include this design in our spring line.”

“Oh,” Marinette blinked. Was he pretending like they didn’t know each other? She didn’t know what she’d expected but this… it was throwing her a little. When he remained silent, obviously waiting to see if she had more to say, she mentally shook herself from her thoughts and cleared her throat, leaning forward just a little so she could see her designs on his desk, if he wanted to pretend not to know her then she could at least try to do the same. “I mean, I’m pleased, obviously. Forgive me if I seem a little off my game, unfortunately, I hadn’t heard about Mr Renard’s retirement and I was expecting to meet with him today. You see I had previously discussed with him my ideas for a particular design in my submission, in relation to what he told me to expect from the spring line.”

Adrien’s eyebrows rose a little “I’d appreciate if you could fill me in then on what you previously discussed with Mr Renard, I don’t like to be left out of the loop.”

“Hmm, that makes two of us” Marinette muttered, unable to resist throwing him a pointed look as she leaned across his desk to pull out the design of the dress featuring the skyline of Paris on the skirt.

“I’m sorry?”

“Nothing” she dismissed quickly, though she looked at him she noticed the way his jaw twitched at her answer. She didn’t know why she’d said it, but she could feel her nerves being replaced quickly with the frustration and sadness she’d felt all those years ago when he left the city. Here he was, sitting before her, pretending like they weren’t once close friends, and daring to look at her with barely concealed anger? She looked away from him and tapped the design with a finger. “This was the design I discussed with Mr Renard after he told me the spring line would possibly take inspiration from famous landmarks across the world. Personally, I wonder how a spring line can be so inspired in that way, but I couldn’t resist a design of our own beautiful city.”

“No firm decision on the theme of the spring line has been confirmed as of yet…” he spoke after a moment, watching her closely. He’d been surprised by the bite in her voice when she’d muttered earlier, though the fire that had lit up her blue eyes was instantly familiar to him. He’d seen it many times before when Marinette had something to fight for. In school he’d admired her for it, now he couldn’t stop the internal flinch when that fire was directed at him. He shifted slightly in his seat, leaning forwards with his elbows on the desk “however that is the design in particular that we want to feature, regardless.”

She gave a knowing smile, as though she’d expected that answer “may I ask which colour scheme? I ended up designing both for the morning and the night. I had photographs of that specific area from both those times, I just couldn’t decide which of them I loved the most.”

“Actually, We would like to include both.”

“Both?”

“Yes, is that a problem?”

“No, I’m just surprised… Mr Renard was always very strict about choosing only one design from each of the freelance designers.”

“I’m not Mr Renard.”

“No…” Mari breathed out, looking away out of the window on her right and across the city “no, you’re not.”

He seemed to sense a change in her mood, and asked “… is everything alright Mari- Miss Dupain-Cheng?”

He tried to catch his mistake, but she’d heard it, her head snapped back around the face him and she fixed him with a stare. “What, you can’t even say my name?”

Adrien cleared his throat and shuffled the designs on his desk, putting them back into the folder so he had someplace to look besides at her. “It would not be very professional to be on a first-name basis with one of our designers. Just as it’s not very professional to bring baked goods to a meeting as handouts.”

He said it to distract her from his mistake, but at the expression in her face, he almost wished he could take the comment back. Yet, when she spoke, her tone was calm.

“I’m sorry if you feel that way, Mr Agreste,” she said his name pointedly, raising an eyebrow “however I must argue that your employees work in a considerably high-stress environment, and a little bit of kindness in their day shouldn’t be looked down upon with disdain. Aside from that, I actually brought these for Mr Renard, considering he hasn’t been able to make it to the bakery on his walks due to his arthritis.”

Adrien shifted in his seat “be that as it may if any of the other designers knew they may consider it bribery.”

“I suppose you’re right” she turned her head thoughtfully “at our next meeting I’ll be sure to only bring enough for everyone else.”

He drummed his fingers on the table slightly, meeting her challenging gaze, and Marinette was almost sure she saw the corners of his mouth twitch. When he spoke again though, it was to change the subject again. “I must ask, I’ve gone through your previous submissions with us prior to this meeting, why have you never applied to work with Agreste Fashions full time? You’d be a welcome asset.”

“I have my own plans, Mr Agreste,” she told him, brushing non-existent dust from her skirt. He waited to see if she would elaborate, but she stayed silent.

“I suppose that means we’re finished here today,” he said, sitting back in his seat “thank you for coming in today, we do appreciate your time and work. We’ll be in contact with you regarding moving forward with the design.”

“Thank you for having the time in your busy schedule to see me again, Mr Agreste” Marinette couldn’t resist the remark again, though she felt as though she was channelling her inner Alya with the passive-aggressive remark. She couldn’t seem to help it though, seeing him only brought back all the old hurt. 

She guessed he knew what she was getting at because that muscle in his jaw was twitching again. “Miss Dupain-Cheng, I do hope that the past will not get in the way of a working relationship between ourselves, at least until I find a replacement for Mr Renard’s position.”

“I hope so too, Mr Agreste,” she told him as she stood, ready to leave before she really put her foot in her mouth and said something she might regret. She walked to the door but said over her shoulder “I look forward to hearing from you in the future.”

She was reaching for the door handle when he stopped her.

“Miss Dupain-Cheng, I notice your limping. May I ask what happened?”

That surprised her, and she looked round to see he was watching her keenly, though there was the faintest blush visible on his pale cheeks.

“I… I stood on some glass and got cut.”

“Oh,” he nodded, looking back down at his desk as he pulled out a new file “yes, I do recall you being quite clumsy.”

She felt her mouth hang open, taken aback by his callous comment. There was a retort on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it. She’d pushed her boundaries enough today, and he was technically kind of her boss in this situation. If they had met on the street, perhaps she’d say what was on her mind. Instead, she swallowed her anger, her hurt and her pride and turned back towards the door.

“It was nice to see you again too, Adrien.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They finally meet again and... it's not nearly as climactic as anyone may expect.


	5. Chapter Five

By the time she was back on the street outside, Marinette felt numb. The whole meeting with Adrien seemed to have sucked her dry, and she was left with nothing but a heavy feeling in her chest. Her anger, her sadness, it seemed to have dissipated with her final words to him because despite everything… it really was kind of nice to see him again, even if he didn’t seem to think the same.

Tikki seemed to sense her chosen’s mood, peering out of her purse just long enough to pat her hand comfortingly and retreating again before anyone could spot her. Marinette still appreciated her effort though and shot a small smile down at the big blue eyes staring out of her purse in thanks.

She was so busy thinking about her meeting and the confusing emotional state it had left her in, that she was completely unaware of her surroundings at first. At least, until a large man nearly knocked her off her feet when he ran past her in a hurry.

“Hey-!” he protested, though he was already some distance away and probably didn’t even hear her. She didn’t get a chance to say anything more, as looking around she realised he wasn’t the only one running.

“What’s going on?” she wondered out loud, looking behind her since it seemed that was the direction where everyone was running from. She could hear something crashing somewhere in the distance, and for a moment her stomach sank at the idea it was some kind of accident.

Then, one clear shout over the yelling and screaming of the crowd set her heart racing.

“Akuma!”

It wasn’t possible. She herself had handed the butterfly miraculous over to Master Fu six years ago. And yet, as she listened to the crowd, more people were yelling about akumas. Against the flow of the crowd, Marinette began running towards the sound of crashing, ducking down a dark alley once she could hear it clearly and creeping to the other end so she could see what was going on.

At first, she thought there was a fire, smoke filling the street just ahead of her was thick and swirling, both grey and deep black. It was only after she blinked that she realised the smoke had a shape, and there where no flames to speak of. Instead, taking up nearly the entire street, was a creature made entirely of smoke. It was vaguely humanoid in shape, with two arms and legs and a head, but there were no defining features. No fingers as its Smokey fist came down on one of the parked cars, crushing it like it was made of wet paper. No face on what she guessed was its head. Marinette could only look on in shock and horror for a few moments as it continued smashing up the street – she’d never seen an akuma that looked quite like this.

“Tikki is that…?”

Tikki had climbed up her sleeve from her purse, she could feel her moving under the fabric until she resurfaced at the collar of her coat near her ear. “It’s not an Akuma Marinette,” the kwami said, also staring at the smoke creature “look, look in its chest!”

Marinette did as her kwami instructed, squinting, as the chest of the creature was where the smoke was dark and thick. At first, she couldn’t see anything, and then the wind shifted, blowing some of the smoke, and she got a glimpse of what Tikki had seen.

“Is that a person?!”

Suspended in the chest of the creature, she’d gotten a fleeting glimpse of a woman. She looked trapped, her expression blank and her eyes completely back, her mouth hanging open as though she was trying to scream, with her hair billowing around her as though she was underwater.

“I think I’ve heard of something like this before” Tikki whispered in her ear “it’s like an Akuma and an amok. But it's not a possessed object, it’s the actual person that’s possessed. It's like a poison, you’ll have to purify it Marinette.”

“How do I do that?” she wondered out loud, voice raising slightly “it’s not like I can fit an entire _person_ inside my yoyo Tikki!”

“No, but you can use it to draw the poison out. It just depends on how they got possessed, if they ingested it or where injected… you’ll know when you get close enough Marinette.”

“And how do I purify a poison with a yoyo?”

“Hold it near the point the poison got into the body, the yoyo will draw the poison out” Tikki yelled this time as Marinette jerked back further into the alley to avoid being crushed by the corner of a roof the creature had just torn off a nearby building and thrown into their direction.

“Alright, let's try this” Marinette coughed, breathing in the dust caused by the fallen roof “spots on!”

Seconds later Ladybug appeared on the rooftop, her yoyo hanging loosely in her hand as she observed the chaos around her. The smoke creature was doing a fantastic job of destroying anything in its path, from the buildings to cars and trees planted along the street. Nothing was saved from its wrath.

Spinning her yoyo, ready to fly off the rooftop if she needed a quick escape, Ladybug yelled out “hey smokey!”

The creature turned, or at least she thought it did, it was hard to tell when it had no face. She threw her yoyo at the same town a smokey fist flew towards her, the creature too slow to catch her as she zipped away landing on the chimney of a roof on the opposite side of the street.

She considered the creature, watching its slow almost sluggish movements, and the way parts of its body billowed away as the December breeze blew stronger down the street. It had no solid form, yet it was clearly able to interact with the world if the state of destruction on the street was anything to go by. She wondered if it would even be able to touch her, but then decided she didn’t really want to find out as it smashed up another car leaving it resembling a metal pancake on the street.

Seeing it aiming again for another parked car, Ladybug tried swinging down on her yoyo, legs pointed out directly and aiming for its smokey arm, intending to knock it off course. As she suspected might happen instead, she flew straight through its smokey arm, leaving her coughing as she landed on a streetlight, slipping slightly. So, she couldn’t touch it.

How was she supposed to fight something she couldn’t touch?

Out of habit Ladybug looked around but of course, there was no one there. Chat hadn’t been there for years and she still found herself turning to speak to him like she used to. Sometimes it wasn’t such a strange thing to do, because Rena Rogue or Carapace would be there, but it wasn’t quite the same since deep down a part of her expected to turn and find her partner standing there with a cocky grin and a bad pun about the situation. Sighing at herself, she spoke out loud to the ghost of Chat in her memories.

“I can’t touch it, I go right through it, but obviously it can destroy thing so it can probably touch me” she mused “I wonder why it can touch things but I can’t…”

An idea came to her head, and Ladybug palmed her yoyo thoughtfully. On a whim, she threw the yoyo, aiming for the creatures arm, and when it had looped around she jumped off the lamppost – her heart leaping when she felt the string draw taut, seeing it visibly wrapped around the creatures smoky arm. Her yoyo could touch it, but not her. She might be able to work with that.

For the next few minutes, Ladybug made it her best efforts to prevent the creature from moving any further down the street, which had already been evacuated but she didn’t want to risk that any civilians may have holed up to hide nearby. She didn’t want anyone to be caught in the warpath of this thing. While trying to do that, she was also trying to find a way to get to the woman trapped inside its chest. During her attempts to get to her however she soon found out her theory that the creature could touch her was correct when it grabbed her and threw her the length of the street before she could grab the woman from its chest.

Ladybug grunted as she sat back up. Her entire body ached from the pain and exertion, but she wouldn’t be beaten. Grimacing, she wiped her forehead on her suit covered hand, still able to feel the sweat and grit stuck to her skin even through the fabric, and her injured ankle burned as she managed to get back onto her feet. Down the street, the creature’s attention had turned back to destroying everything around it again. It seemed to be its only purpose.

“Alright, fine” Ladybug grumbled, throwing her yoyo in the air “Lucky Charm!” she called and then held her arms out to catch the shadow that appeared in the bright light above her.

She should probably have been less surprised when she ended up holding a fan.

She looked back at the end of the street, the smoke creature still not paying her any attention now it had thrown her like a rag doll, and an idea formed in her head. Holding the fan in one hand, her yoyo in the other, and doing her best to ignore the stabbing pain in her ankle, Ladybug started to sprint back down the street towards it. When she was close enough she swung her yoyo, jumping and springing off a piece of large rubble from one of the buildings it had destroyed, and using the momentum to propel herself through the air directly towards the chest of the creature. Like before, one of its smokey fists came up to block her – this time Ladybug pointed the fan at its translucent limb like a shield and turned it onto the high setting, satisfied when she saw the fan blowing the smoke away and letting her pass through it unharmed.

She collided with the woman suspended in its chest, the pair of them landing on the rooftop just behind the creature, collapsing near one another as Ladybug’s ankle was unable to support her weight from the fall. She dropped the fan as the smoke creature groaned, turning to them apparently seeking the woman who had been in its chest. Looking at her Ladybug saw her eyes were still open, but they where completely black and unseeing. It was eerie, and she found herself trying not to look at the woman’s face as she hurried to inspect her, looking for where the poison may have entered her body just as Tikki had instructed. Just as Tikki had said, it was obvious to her when she saw it. On the woman’s hand, like a bee sting but much larger, the skin swollen and red with black veins. The smoke creature was reaching for them again, as Ladybug opened her yoyo – the familiar purifying white light shining from inside – and held it over the lady’s punctured hand.

She watched in relief as the dark veins began to seep out of the wound and into her yoyo, disappearing from the lady’s skin. As it did, the smoke creature reaching for them began to fade, until the veins had completely vanished, and the creature was gone completely.

Relived, Ladybug sat down and let out a single barking laugh that echoed in the urethral silence that fell across the city with the end of the fight. Not even birds where singing.

“Urgh…” the lady beside her groaned, blinking, her eyes now a clear warm brown instead of drowning darkness. “W-where am I? What happened?”

“I don’t know” Ladybug dragged herself back up to stand, offering the lady her hand to help her up.

“L-ladybug?!” the woman scrambled to her feet, her mouth hanging open as she looked around them at the destruction “I… oh… oh god. Was I akumatized?”

“Uh…” Ladybug rubbed the back of her neck “not exactly. You were possessed, but it wasn’t an Akuma. I’m not sure what it was, yet. Are you okay though?”

“I… I think so. I’m confused but…” the lady stopped talking as a sharp beep emitted from Ladybug’s earrings.

“I hate to ask, but I don’t have much time. Do you remember anything from before… before all this happened?”

“I – no. I was just shopping, and then my hand felt like it was burning and… and that’s the last thing I remember. I’m sorry.”

“Its okay, the important thing is that your safe, but maybe get your hand checked out at the hospital?” Ladybug patted the lady’s shoulder, then pointed towards a blue door on the roof “if you use that door you can get downstairs, okay?”

“I, yes. Okay, thank you Ladybug. Thank you.”

She watched the lady disappear through the door, looking a little unsteady on her feet and utterly bewildered. Ladybug wished she could do more to help her after her experience, but her earring beeped again reminding her of her limited time. As she’d grown older, she found that the length of time between using her lucky charm and de-transforming had actually gotten a bit longer than five minutes – Tikki said it was from experience – but it still wasn’t very long.

She grabbed the polka-dot fan she’d dropped when they fell onto the roof and threw it into the air with a cry, watching as the sky exploded with a swarm of magical ladybugs that swept over the city repairing what had been broken. By the time the woman exited the building, everything was fixed again. She waved at the woman, who gave a half-hearted wave back as sirens got closer and the first police car turned onto the street. she waited until she saw the woman flagged down the car, and she was in the safe care of the officers before she disappeared from the scene as the third beep rang out.

****

“I mean just look at _that_ , look at it!” Alya bounced in her seat, making the whole couch move, too fixated on her phone screen to notice Marinette was half asleep beside her and not watching the video of Ladybug from earlier. “People are saying it was an Akuma, that there must be a new Hawkmoth, but I’m not so sure. I never saw an Akuma like that! then again suppose that would tie in with a ‘ _new_ ’ Hawkmoth, wouldn’t it? Argh! I can’t believe missed it!”

Marinette should have expected the night would turn out like this when Alya invited her over for dinner. Somehow, she didn’t think the redhead would be so excited about it, obviously she’d remembered her teenage excitement with rose-tinted glasses because she was almost sure she wasn’t ever as enthusiastic in the past. On the other hand, it could just be because she was so tired. That was part of the reason she hadn’t cancelled their dinner date – something of a tradition for them on nights when Nino would be out DJ’ing late somewhere. The girls would get together, talk, and usually order a pizza or Chinese.

Alya moved, shoving her phone under Marinette’s nose “I mean look at that, Ladybug just went _right through its chest_ to rescue that woman!”

She leaned a little closer, and Marinette let out a hiss of pain as her leg moved, and Alya backed off in a hurry. “Oh god, sorry Mari. I forgot about your ankle, I'll fetch you more ice!” she jumped off the couch before Marinette could say she was okay, heading for the freezer where she rifled through until she found a bag of frozen peas.

After the fight with the smoke creature Marinette’s ankle was causing her quite a bit of pain, the skin around the cut had swelled up slightly, and what had started as a small limp that morning was now a prominent hobble whenever she tried to get around. She couldn’t tell Alya that’s why it hurt though, so she’d used the same lie she told her father about twisting her ankle when she wore heels, and now Alya kept plying her with cold compresses.

“Oh, and I haven’t even told you the best part!” the redhead was practically bouncing as she returned to the couch.

“Really, because you’ve recounted the entire fight at least five times, what could you have possibly missed?” Mari arched an eyebrow, trying not to squeak as a fresh bag of frozen peas was dropped onto her bare ankle.

“Don’t get sassy with me girl” Alya joked, ruffling Mari’s hair while using one hand to swipe her phone screen. When she showed it to her again it was a photograph, zoomed in so it was a little grainy, but it was clear enough to give Marinette pause.

“Is that…?”

“Chat Noir!” Alya squealed “he was spotted just after the fight before Ladybug disappeared. I guess he’s out of practice because he was too late to help her but its still pretty awesome! I wonder if Ladybug knows he’s back yet, it doesn’t look like she even saw him earlier…”

Alya carried on talking but Marinette wasn’t listening. She’d taken hold of the phone, inspecting the photo closely. She could tell exactly when it was taken, she was pointing towards the blue door for the poor woman to use to get back onto the street. Her back was turned, so she really didn’t see Chat Noir standing on another rooftop behind her just a little higher up. In fact, she didn’t remember turning back into that direction at all before she left. She’d missed him completely.

Chat Noir was back, and she missed him!

Or… maybe he did it on purpose, hanging back out of her sight because he didn’t want to see her? It would explain why he didn’t call out or try to get her attention.

Her mind was racing, and her heart was thundering so loudly she was sure Alya could hear it. What if he thought she had seen him? What if Chat was out there right now at one of their usual spots waiting for her?

“-Alya, I have to go” Mari jumped up, the frozen peas sliding to the floor with an icy crunch, and grimacing when she put too much pressure on her ankle.

“Oh, what, why?”

“I’m sorry, I just… I don’t feel so great.”

Alya clicked her tongue “I thought you looked a little paler than usual, are you sick? You can stay for the night if you want?” she reached out to press a hand against Mari’s head, a concerned from forming on her face.

“I’m probably just tired, long day, I was up early to help in the bakery after all…” Mari shrugged, shuffling towards the front door and nearly walking into the door frame.

“Oh yeah, I forgot. Sorry Mari, are you sure you’ll be okay getting home?”

“I’ll be fine Alya. I’ll text you in the morning?”

“Alright, bye Mari!”

“Bye!” she called back over her shoulder, already out of the door. She hated to rush out on Alya like that, and she’d make it up to her later by taking her out to lunch or organizing another girls night, but she couldn’t rest until she knew Chat wasn’t out there waiting for her.

She ducked into the alley of Alya’s building and opened her purse.

“Marinette, you should be resting!” Tikki protested, flying out of the purse immediately with her arms crossed.

“I know, and I will” Marinette nodded “but… I need to know. He’s back Tikki, I need to know if he’s waiting out there for me or if… if I was right and he doesn’t want to be my partner anymore.”

“Marinette…”

“Don’t _you_ want to know too?”

Tikki sighed “fine, but I better get extra cookies tonight.”

“Deal. Spots on Tikki!”

*****

Adrien threw back his head and drained the whisky in his glass in one gulp, taking a small amount of pleasure in the warm burn it left trailing down his throat – a stark contrast to the winter wind currently attempting to freeze him to his balcony.

Usually, he tried not to drink too much on work nights. He didn’t want to set a precedent to the other employees that hangovers where a good look in the office, especially since it didn’t take much to give him one and no matter how hard he tried he always looked terrible the day after. But after today, he needed a drink.

His meeting with Marinette had gone… smoother than he thought it would. She was angry with him, he knew even without her pointed comments and looks, and he accepted that. He knew she would be, and it must have been a bit of a shock for her that the meeting had turned out to be with him. Her anger he could deal with, he deserved it after all. What he hadn’t expected was the absolute sincerity in her voice when she’d told him she was glad to see him again as she was leaving.

He knew his comment about her clumsiness had struck a nerve, it was something that had always bothered her when they where in school, and he couldn’t say he hadn’t said it with the intention of encouraging her to stay away from him. The fresh pain in her eyes after he said it… it had cut him unexpectedly. What she had said afterwards, that she was glad to see him again, only rubbed salt into that wound. He’d been right, despite the hurt he caused her, Marinette would probably forgive him for it and damn himself but it was tempting.

He’d gone straight into another meeting straight after seeing her, throwing himself into it in an attempt to forget what had just occurred, which was why he didn’t notice what was happening outside straight away. When his second meeting had finished and he stood up to stretch his legs, setting his sights out of the window and saw it…

The ruins streets, the smoke creature, and the red blur that was clearly Ladybug as she was thrown away by the creature.

He’d frozen for what felt like forever upon seeing that, though it was only a few seconds. Every muscle had tensed, the hair on his neck standing on end, and he’d even forgotten how to breathe. For a moment… he was fifteen again, seeing a rampaging Akuma from his bedroom window not yet knowing his own father was responsible for turning his best friends – just kids no less - into monsters for his own selfish reasons.

He didn’t snap out of it until Plagg bit his thumb hard, asking him snarkily if he was going to bother to help while he was in Paris or if he was so determined to turn his back on everyone that he’d let Ladybug get killed.

As it turned out, by the time he arrived on the scene, Ladybug had taken care of everything and was talking to the victim. He just stood watching. He didn’t know if he should yell out, get her attention. If she’d even want to see him. The decision was made for him when she disappeared from the scene before he could decide for himself, and so he’d left too. After he de-transformed Plagg hadn’t spoken to him a whole lot, though he wasn’t sure if the tiny god was angry with him or trying to give him space.

It was the adrenaline that was keeping him awake. He could still feel it buzzing in him even hours later, so he had turned to drinking on his balcony watching the city of lights until sleep no longer escaped him.

He was several drinks in, so when he saw a blur of red on the horizon he thought it was a hallucination – or the beginning of the sunrise. It took him a few blinks to realise it was Ladybug.

She was further away than last time he saw her from his balcony, too far away to notice him watching her, walking slowly over the rooftop. It was odd, he’d never known her to walk so slowly without a reason. Maybe she was looking for something.

Maybe she was looking for Chat Noir?

He entertained the thought for a few minutes, musing in his head what would happen if he transformed right now and raced to catch up with her… But no. She wouldn’t be looking for him, he was certain she hadn’t seen him earlier. She didn’t know he was back.

Sighing Adrien poured himself another drink from the bottle, watching as Ladybug disappeared from his view once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to wait and release this chapter tomorrow, but I couldn't resist since this is the chapter where the villainous side of things start to get interesting :)


	6. Chapter Six

Marinette spent most of the next day on her couch, keeping her foot elevated to make sure she rested it – or risk a stern look from her kwami – and working on some orders for her online store. Thankfully it was quite easy to tell which of her designs were going to be popular on the store, and she was more than capable of keeping up with a bulk of the orders, which meant days like this which were spent cutting and sewing fabrics were rather relaxing.

Relaxing was what she needed right now. She felt like the last twenty-four hours had been nothing but a whirlwind of events and emotions, leaving her confused and exhausted. First her meeting, unexpectedly with Adrien rather than Mr Renard. Looking back, she regretted her behaviour, enough that she knew she needed to apologise to him at their next meeting. He’d acted professionally, and she had let her emotions get the best of her more than once.

Then there was the attack yesterday. It was unexpected, and it was not an Akuma despite what the news was still reporting that morning. She’d actually had to turn off her television just to escape the news, it seemed to be all Paris was talking about. She had watched a few of the reports while she had her breakfast – already it seemed that accusations where being thrown about, and authorities were doing their best to reassure people that Gabriel Agrest was still in his prison cell and innocent of yesterday’s attack at least. Some people thought this was a lie, of course, to keep the public calm. Marinette herself wasn’t sure what to believe, but the fact that it wasn’t an Akuma led her to believe they were dealing with something different.

The reports said that the woman who had been the victim of the attack was doing okay, thankfully, though she was kept in hospital overnight so they could observe her. She’d done a short interview that was shown on the news, describing what had happened to the best of her memory and thanking Ladybug for helping her.

Not everyone was so pleased with Ladybug though, as accusations from the public brought the heroine under fire for not preventing another Hawkmoth, some even went as far as to suggest she had never stopped him in the first place and Gabriel was a scapegoat. Marinette had only rolled her eyes at those claims, the conspiracy theorists where nothing new, most of them used to be hardcore fans of Gabriel and couldn’t believe he’d be a supervillain. In the immediate aftermath of his arrest, they’d formed a little group, showing up to all the trails and rallying outside the courts to protest.

Of course, the photograph of Chat Noir had also made the news. More theories began to fly, about why he hadn’t helped her. Some people thought that the two heroes had fought, and that was perhaps why no one had seen Chat since Hawkmoth’s defeat. Marinette wished it was as simple as that.

She’d done a short patrol after leaving Alya’s the night before, despite it being Carapace’s night to patrol the city, hoping to catch even a glimpse of Chat. It was foolish of her to think he’d be waiting for her, she decided later, after all, if he wanted to get in contact with her then he had the means to do so – just like she did. She’d actually spent a few sleepless hours wondering if she should reach out to him, but her own stupid fear stopped her. Chat had been her best friend, perhaps even more so than Alya in some ways because she weirdly felt she could share more with him – protected by the mask and secret identities – than she could with the other girl. She knew his feelings for her had been more romantic than platonic, despite her rejecting him several times, and she’d be lying if she hadn’t thought about it at least once or twice – especially after Adrien had rejected her confession. After all, it wasn’t like he was unlikeable, he was funny, cute and genuinely cared about everyone. Part of the reason she didn’t ever give him that chance was that she didn’t want to just rebound on him because of Adrien’s rejection, though a bigger part was afraid to ruin their friendship, or partnership, with feelings if it ever went wrong.

It was the same fear that stopped her reaching out to him.

She slipped in her stitching and managed to prick her finger, letting out a hiss. It wasn’t the first time she’d pricked herself with a needle, of course, it was the kind of pain she was used to, but that was the dozenth time she’d done it in the last few hours. Frustrated with herself she put down the piece she was working on and sighed.

“Are you okay Marinette?” Tikki asked from where she was resting on a nearby shelf, watching her chosen curiously.

“Just distracted Tikki” Mari answered.

“Is it about Chat?”

Marinette chewed on her lip before answer “not just him, it just feels like so much is happening at once, you know? I… need to prioritise. I will apologise to Adrien when I need to meet him about the designs again, and Chat… well, I don’t know what to do that yet. I think the biggest problem right now is the attack yesterday.”

Tikki nodded encouragingly “its okay Marinette, you don’t need to tackle everything at once.”

“Tikki, you said yesterday that you’d heard about something like that attack before?” Marinette asked, looking up at the kwami “that’s how you knew it wasn’t a possessed object?”

“Yes,” Tikki sat forward slightly, rubbing her chin as her antenna twitched “I don’t know a lot about it, I’ve just heard about it from the other kwami. There are quite a few kwami that give their holder powers of possession like the butterfly and peacock miraculous.”

“Isn’t possession a bit, uh… wrong?”

“No kwami is actually evil Marinette” Tikki shrugged “there are a few who are a bit… darker, than the rest, just like humans but its how our holders use the powers we give them that determines whether they’re good or bad. Look at Nooroo and Duusu.”

Marinette had met Nooroo and Duusu after returning their miraculous to Master Fu. Duusu had been horrified to learn of how her powers where being used, and Nooroo was possibly the meekest kwami she’d ever met – though Master Fu said he wasn’t always, and his personality had been changed under Gabriel’s less than caring treatment of him. Neither of the kwami’s where bad, despite how they had been used.

“Do you know of any kwami’s that could cause possession from poisons Tikki?” she asked, “it might help us if they attack again”. Marinette wasn’t actually sure there would be another attack, after all, it wasn’t like yesterdays creature had been yelling out its motives like Hawkmoth’s Akuma's had. Actually, it only seemed to be interested in destroying anything it touched. Something in her gut told her that what happened yesterday wasn’t over yet.

Tikki thought about it “I’m sorry, I can’t think of any Marinette. Perhaps we should ask Master Fu!”

“Your right Tikki, even if he doesn’t know a specific miraculous that could do this it wouldn’t hurt to get his advice on how to fight something I can only touch with my yoyo” Marinette grumbled the last part.

Marinette waited until it got dark before she decided to make her way to Master Fu’s. She didn’t visit her old master very often anymore, not since he’d made the decision that she didn’t really need his tutelage anymore – even if she felt differently. When she did visit, she always waited for the end of the day, the guardian had always asked her visits be discreet at the risk of anyone discovering their connection one day.

Not to mention by the end of the day her ankle was feeling a lot better, having rested it the whole day, but she still took a few pain killers and wore a support bandage to prevent straining it too much again as she set off from her apartment at a slow jog towards Master Fu’s home.

No one ever noticed joggers, and his home was on the path she usually took whenever she decided to take a run, so it seemed to her the best way to visit him without drawing unnecessary attention on the off chance that someone may be watching. And jogging always helped her clear her mind when she felt her brain going into overdrive. On the other hand, it was December, a fact she seemed to have forgotten when she put on her jogging shorts, even as her muscles began to burn she kept pulling her hoodie sleeves over her hands in an effort to seek a tiny bit of warmth. By the time she turned onto Master Fu’s street her nose and fingers where numb.

“Oh no Marinette, look!” Tikki squeaked from the pocket of her sweatshirt, little paw pointing at the door of Master Fu’s shop.

Hanging in the window of the little spices shop, above which Master Fu lived, was a ‘closed until further notice’ sign.

“No, no, no…” Marinette puffed, her words hanging in the cold air as she rapped on the door hoping he would answer, even taking a step back to look up at the windows of the flat over the shop and hoping she’d see a light on. Every window was dark, and there was no answer at the door.

“He isn’t here” Tikki stated the obvious, sound dismayed.

“He must be travelling again” Marinette agreed, shuffling on the spot to try to keep warm. It wasn’t uncommon for Master Fu to take the occasional trip, sometimes he guardian business (though he wouldn’t tell her what that business was, only tapping his nose secretively if she asked) and sometimes just because he wanted to. This time she couldn’t help but curse his timing, just a little bit, in her head. She had been relying on Master Fu being able to answer her questions, hoping he knew anything about their possible new adversary that might help her.

Sighing, she turned away from his shop and decided to carry on her run. At the very least it might tire her out and help her sleep that night, and there was something about the Paris streets at night – even when she wasn’t racing over rooftops as Ladybug – that brought a sense of peace to her mind.

She carried on, slowing down now and then whenever she felt a painful twinge in her ankle but the injury, and soon enough she was running alongside the Seine, listening to the sound of the dark water as she passed alongside it.

When she saw the figure of someone leaning on the railing of the river up ahead she felt a falter in her steps. Normally when she ran this route at night, she didn’t see anyone. It was like she had the city to herself, despite being able to hear the sounds of traffic and crowds in the distance. She hesitated only briefly though; she knew the only reason she felt cautious was that she’d had to stop those would-be muggers in this area only a few nights ago. Then again, if anyone wanted to cause her trouble, they would be in for quite a surprise – even when she wasn’t transformed, Marinette knew how to defend herself quite well.

She carried on running with every intention of ignoring what was probably just another sleepless citizen of Paris as she passed by him, and she would have been successful if she hadn’t looked right at him again and was surprised to recognise who it was.

“Adrien?!” his name left her lips before she even knew she was going to say anything, apparently bypassing her internal filter completely.

He jerked around, apparently startled. He had been so lost in his own thoughts he’d not paid any attention to the footsteps approaching him, but the sound of his name and a familiar voice had broken his trance. He looked around, at first not quite sure he recognised her in the soft dull glow of the streetlights.

“Marinette?” he gaped “what are you doing here?”

He felt stupid asking, considering it was pretty obvious she was dressed for exercise and appeared a little out of breath. He couldn’t quite help looking at her now, taking in her pink hooded sweatshirt and the tight running shorts that ended just above her knees.

“I was, uh…” she stuttered a little, feeling suddenly awkward as he peered at her “I was just out on a run. What are you doing here?”

Adrien shrugged, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck “I was on my way home from the office and just stopped to think about some things…”

“Oh…”

The pair stood in silence for a second, looking anywhere but at each other. Finally, Marinette blurted “I want to apologise.”

“What?” he stared at her dumbly.

“I…” Marinette twisted her fingers, looking at his shoes. She wasn’t at all surprised to find they were expensive-looking leather. “I want to apologise… about my behaviour during our meeting. I let my feelings get the best of me and it wasn’t very professional. I was going to wait and apologise during the next meeting but since you’re here now…”

“Oh” it was Adrien's turn to say dumbly, staring at her. He’d honestly not expected an apology about her behaviour, he didn’t think she owed him one. He turned back to face the water as he said “Its… okay. I get it. I was an arsehole to just disappear on you like that. You don’t need to apologise; I know it was upsetting for you…”

Marinette approached the barrier and leaned on it beside him, though not close enough to touch. “Yeah, it was kind of an arsehole move but… it's not like you didn’t have a reason to do it.”

Adrien glanced at her but didn’t turn away from the water.

Marinette continued, watching the reflection of the city in the rippling black water of the river before them. “I mean, I’d be way more upset if you’d just left without a reason but after… after your dad… well. I can’t imagine what it was like for you Adrien. So, I’m sorry I took my anger out on you when you don’t really deserve it.”

Adrien said nothing in reply to her confession, and for a few more minutes the only sound’s to be heard was the seemingly distant echo of the city around them, and their own breaths over the soft lapping of the calm water. He didn’t know what to say to her. Over the last few years, he’d wondered on occasion how his old friends might react if he ever tried to reach out to them, and in his mind, all of the scenarios he could think of had been negative. Had involved them screaming at him, venting how much he’d hurt them when he’d disappeared like that. He’d never once imagined that they might actually understand, even slightly, why he’d needed to leave. And now that it was happening, now Marinette was telling him this, he felt his already cracked resolve not to contact them beginning to crumble.

Marinette didn’t know what to think of his silence. Perhaps he was angry she’d brought up his father at all, even if it was only to reassure him that he did deserve her apology. She waited a few moments to see if he would speak again, but as the silence stretched on between them, she sighed. “It’s getting late, I should get home. I guess I’ll see you later.”

She got a few steps away when he asked, “why are you jogging at night?”

The question surprised her, and she stopped to look at him over her shoulder. He was looking in her direction but otherwise hadn’t moved from his previous position on the railing. “Sorry?”

“Why are you jogging at night?” he repeated, arching an eyebrow “I don’t mean to offend, but you’re an easy target for anyone wanting to mess with you. Anything could happen!”

Marinette had to purse her lips to avoid laughing at this. If only he knew, she thought to herself. “I couldn’t sleep, I had too much on my mind, and running helps. Besides”, she couldn’t resist shooting him a grin “I’m more capable of taking care of myself than you seem to think, Mr Agreste.”

He snorted, fighting a laugh while trying to remain composed, turning to face her fully. “Seriously Marinette, it’s dangerous.”

Marinette only shrugged, still grinning, and waved goodbye over her shoulder as she carried on jogging away from him. She couldn’t help being amused by the exchange, and a little touched that he’d expressed concern at all. Her chest felt a little lighter after apologising too, though it troubled her a little that he didn’t think she owed him an apology.

After a few meters, Mari became aware of footsteps behind her. Frowning, she stopped running to look behind her – smirking just a little when she saw who it was.

“I didn’t realise you were warning me that you were going to stalk me home.”

Adrien had a tight-lipped look on his face, trying to fight the blush threatening to grace his cheeks at her comment. “Well it didn’t seem like you were taking your safety seriously, and I wouldn’t like to read in the news tomorrow that you’d gotten hurt because you decided to take a run at night with an injured foot.” He nodded pointedly down at her leg, where the support bandage she’d out on was clearly visible over the top of her trainer.

She frowned down at her foot and then looked back up at him “it’s better than it was… I just strained it a bit too much yesterday.”

He didn’t look convinced, folding his arms over his broad chest, making the dark wool coat he was wearing flare out a bit at his knees.

“Besides, instead of being creepy and following me home, you could have just _asked_ to walk me.”

Adrien lost his fight and blushed this time, dropping his folded arms in his embarrassment. “Well, I wasn’t raised to let a young woman walk the city streets alone at night… if you don’t mind?”

“Not at all, if it will give you peace of mind” she chuckled a bit, especially when he offered her his elbow. “I don’t live too far away from here anyway.”

Together they walked in companionable silence for a while. It reminded them both of the countless times they had done similar as teenagers, often left to entertain each other whenever they hung out with Alya and Nino while the pair would not so subtly sneak off for some time alone. The first few times it happened it was a little awkward, especially after Mari’s confession, but not for very long. Adrien had always enjoyed talking to Marinette, he felt like he could talk to her about anything, as though they had known each other far longer than just a few years.

He caught her glancing at him while they walked. “Why do you keep staring at me?”

“Oh,” she looked at the ground, embarrassed he caught her “I just… I really am glad to see you again Adrien, we’ve missed you.”

Adrien sighed, not looking at her “I… missed Paris. It’s nice to be back, I’ll be sad to leave when we’ve found a replacement for Mr Renard’s position.”

“Oh,” she felt disappointment prickle her that he wasn’t here to stay “so… where do you live now? Milan?” she knew he’d travelled there a few times when they were teens.

“Oh uh, no… honestly, I travel a lot. I don’t really have a permanent residence.”

She stared at him “but… don’t you have a home?”

“I guess not.”

“I can't imagine not having a home” she expressed wistfully “I love my apartment, its… my safe space. Besides, where does all your mail go?”

Adrien let out a barking laugh at her question, the first time she’d heard him laugh for real since they started talking, and she couldn’t help but grin. His laugh hadn’t changed at all. “It goes to my offices, where it’s read by an assistant who contacts me if It’s something that actually needs my attention. If it doesn’t someone else can deal with it.”

“I don’t get it… if you miss Paris, why not stay here for a while?” she gave him a curious look “I’m not the only one who’s missed you, you know.”

Adrien shook his head “I don’t think anyone else would be quite as amicable as you are Marinette.” He was thinking about the fashion show, the night he’d seen her with Alya and Nino, and the angry looks on his former friends faces.

“I know you think everyone’s still furious with you and I guess they are still kind of angry… but they’re more _sad_ than anything I think. Besides, if you think about it another way, if they didn’t care about you at all anymore then they wouldn’t care enough to be angry in the first place.”

Adrien stayed silent.

Marinette sighed, “so, what where you think about so hard back there?” she asked instead, not sure she could stand the awkward silence.

“Oh…” Adrien was surprised by her question “just work stuff. Nothing to worry about.”

He wasn’t lying. Not really. Except ‘work stuff’ didn’t mean Agreste fashions in this sense. He’d actually come out tonight to find Master Fu, seeking the guardian’s advice on what to do now that he’d returned. Plus, a tiny paranoid part of himself wanted to make sure the guardian was still in possession of the butterfly miraculous after yesterdays events, even after he’d made a few calls the prison and assured that his father was still locked up – though he’d declined when they told him that Gabriel had been requesting to get in touch with his son. Adrien hadn’t spoken to his father since his arrest, he wasn’t sure if he ever wanted to. He had also hoped that Master Fu for all his, often confusing, wisdom might offer him some advice about what to say to Ladybug now that he’d returned because Adrien was at a somewhat loss. Should he call her with his baton? Should he wait in one of their old meeting spots and see if she appeared? Should he wait and see if there’s another attack and just join her in battle like nothing had ever happened?

Marinette sensed he wasn’t being completely honest with her, glancing sideways at him as they arrived at the doorstep of her apartment building, but she didn’t press him. She may have apologised, and they may be having a friendly conversation, but he didn’t owe her anything more than that. “Well, this is my stop. I told you it wasn’t far.”

Adrien shrugged “still, it was my chivalrous duty to make sure the princess is in her tower safe and sound instead of on these sinister streets” he joked, though his tone was completely serious, there was a mischievous glint in his eye that she had seen many times when they where in school, usually right before he made some terrible joke.

Mari laughed “oh my god!”

“What?”

For a moment he’d reminded her of Chat Noir, it was the kind of thing he’d say. Letting her laugh die down to a chuckle she admitted to him “nothing, you just reminded me of an old friend of mine. He used to say stuff like that a lot.”

“Ah, okay… well, I’ll let you be now that your home. Goodnight Marinette.”

“Wait, Adrien!” she reached out, catching the sleeve of his coat before he could turn away full. Looking down, he had to since he had grown a fair few inches taller than her over the last few years, he saw her chewing her lip as she tried to fish something out of her pocket. She eventually produced a small white card from the sweatshirt, which she handed to him with a blush “I… I know you don’t plan to stay in the city, and maybe you don’t want to be anything more than work colleagues, but if you ever feel like reaching out…” she gave an embarrassed shrug, letting him go and opening the door to her apartment. Adrien watched her until the door shut and she disappeared, waving goodbye.

He looked down at the little white card she’d handed him. It was clearly a business card, though not professionally made. It simply said ‘Dupain-Cheng’ in gold lettering, with a phone number, email and web address underneath.

She had apologised for being angry with him, and now she was inviting him to reach out if he wanted to. A part of him wanted to throw the card away – he had already been distracted enough…

Instead, he tucked it safely in his coat pocket as he turned away from her apartment, heading for his own home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, this one turned out to be a long chapter, and honestly, I rewrote it half a dozen times because I just couldn't seem to be happy with it. I'm still not thrilled, I wanted to add a bit more about their reactions to the unexpected meeting and talk, but then this chapter may have gone on forever. So while it may seem a bit blunt, I will be letting the characters mull over their surprise meeting in the next chapter or two. I did enjoy letting Adrien reveal a bit more of his normal self to Mari though. Plus, I like to think that as she got a bit older Marinette grew more into herself, and that confident she displays as Ladybug starts shining through to her civilian personality as well - that's why I like writing her making a few odd jokes and sarcastic comments. Plus she did spend quite a lot of time around Chat when she was younger, I like to think at least a bit of his cheek rubbed off on her, especially after his left since it helps her remember him.


	7. Chapter Seven

Considering she was the holder of the ladybug miraculous, also known as the miraculous of creation and good luck, Marinette was going to be having a serious talk with Tikki some point soon about the atrocious bad luck she was having lately.

She was supposed to be on her way to have lunch with Alya, to make up for running out on her the other night when she’d practically ran out of the door in her haste to try and find Chat. A good lunch, finally fill her best friend in on her meeting – and subsequent surprise walk home – with Adrien, possibly some holiday shopping, that had been her plan for the day. Instead, she was racing over rooftops towards the sounds of screaming.

Thankfully she’d seen the news as she was about to leave her apartment to meet Alya. The city was on high alert after that first attack, so it was barely a few moments after the attack was started that it was reported, and with only a small grimace she’d transformed into Ladybug and rushed towards the scene as fast as she could. As she did, her mind wandered. Would Chat Noir show up again? She shook her head as she ran, trying to push the thought (and the flicker of hope that made her feel sick in her stomach from nerves) and urging herself to concentrate on the fight at hand.

It was the same as last time. A faceless, odd-looking shape of swirling smoke with a person suspended in its centre with blank black eyes and a terrified, soundless, scream etched upon their face. It was a man this time, they had gotten a clear view of him through the smokey body before the wind shifted and he was covered up again. She found it curious – when Hawkmoth had reused the same Akuma’s in usually meant that the same person was akumatized, like how Mr Ramier became Mr Pigeon several times before they’d taken Hawkmoth down (every time Marinette found herself getting more and more annoyed at people abusing pigeons). Perhaps whoever, or whatever, was causing these shadowy possessions was only able to create these, and not different things like Hawkmoth.

Ladybug felt a bit more prepared this time, as she wouldn’t have to waste time learning the weaknesses and strengths of the creature. She already knew she could touch it physically, but that it was more than capable of touching her and causing harm, and that her yoyo and Lucky Charm were her only real weapons against it. Her plan was simple, as she swung across a street and hit the next rooftop running the creature in her sights as he tore apart another rooftop. While it was distracted, and before it noticed her, extract the victim from its chest and purify them as quickly as possible. It should have been easy, considering the last one hadn’t been interested in anything besides ripping the city apart.

She was one rooftop away when it turned, spotting her, and letting out an unholy roar (she tried not to think about how it did that, considering it had no mouth that she could see) and she had barely a moment to think before she was diving out of the way of the chimney it had just torn from a building and threw at her. Coughing from the dust Ladybug moved quickly, using her yoyo to travel to a different rooftop, but it followed her, advancing as quickly as it seemed able to and letting out an eerie groan as it did.

It was targeting her. So much for her simple plan.

Working alone was a lot harder when the thing attacking was focusing on you, she knew from experience over the last few years. Of course, with Hawkmoth gone her only enemies had been normal human criminals. The kinds who used knives, or guns, and didn’t seem to fully comprehend that when she was transformed as Ladybug, she was faster, stronger, and capable of more than a few unexpected tricks. Not that it meant she had avoided injury, of course, and she wasn’t always alone if Rena Rogue or Carapace were around. But this was different, the smoke creature was just as capable of the unexpected as she was – it’s smokey arm suddenly extending like a tendril, slamming into the ground where she was standing just seconds before, missing her by a hair length. After a few moments of dodging, Ladybug was panting. How was she supposed to rescue the victim if she couldn’t get close enough while avoiding its attacks?

Ladybug flinched as another piece of the rooftop was thrown at her, kicking up dust. Having an idea she picked up the largest rock she could throw, tossing it to her left so it clattered while she ran to her right, leaving the rooftops in favour of the street and hoping the noise from the rock disguised in the dust might distract it enough for her to get out of its sights so she could gather her wits – or at least send out a call for her help on her yoyo.

Shadow slammed into her through the dust, knocking her to the ground with a painful grunt. Before she could get back up, it had surrounded her, holding her to the ground with an impossible amount of pressure. Ladybug gasped, but the smoke was surrounding her and she couldn’t seem to catch any fresh air, dissolving into coughs that left her eyes watering while the pressure on her body increased, feeling her bones begin to ache with it. With the dust from the thrown bit of roof clearing, she could see now, the shadowy creature moving above her, leaning on her, squashing her…

Something moved in the harsh morning sunlight to her side, and she turned her head to follow the shadow on the rooftop above them both. Squinting through the smoke and her tears she thought she could see a person. Her heart leapt when she made out a human shape, with a long curling tail.

They moved out of the sunlight that was blinding her, and she frowned in confusion. She’d thought it was Chat Noir on the rooftop, but it wasn’t. She didn’t know who this was, and though the air from her lungs was being crushed out of her, she had enough sense to know that whoever it was, was likely responsible for the attacks.

Even from this distance, she could see it was a woman, dark hair pulled into a braid, wearing deep purple suit much like Ladybugs own, that clung to her like a second skin, and a sarong tied around her waist. There was something on her back, that reminded her of a smaller version of the shell shield Carapace had, and a tail curled towards her back. The stranger’s eyes where completely drown in blackness through the purple mask on her face, covering her eyes and coming down pointedly on her cheeks. She leaned over the rooftop, staring down at Ladybug with a satisfied smirk, but didn’t say anything. She just watched, staring right into Ladybug’s eyes, both of them sharing the thought that she was losing this battle…

She could feel unconsciousness tugging at her, making her limbs feel heavy despite the cold burning in her chest where her lungs were screaming for her to take a fresh breath. She couldn’t think. Couldn’t move.

She thought she was hallucinating when the shimmering semi-transparent green shell appeared over her, swelling in size and pushing the smokey monster’s limb off her. She sucked in a breath as soon as she was able, dissolving into yet another coughing fit as she tried to sit up. Ladybug jumped a little when she felt arms grip her under her shoulders, but looking up to find Carapace with a grimace as he pulled her out of the way made her relax again and just focus on breathing. He dragged her into a nearby alley and propped her against a wall. “You okay LB?”

“Y-yeah!” she coughed, scrubbing at her burning eyes with her gloved hands “just n-need to catch my breath again…”

“Take it easy” the turtle hero spoke gently, patting her shoulder “we’re sorry we couldn’t get here sooner… it’s a lot harder to sneak out of work than it was to sneak out of school.”

Ladybug waved him away, glancing up at the top of the alley when she became aware of noise and noticed Rena Rogue on a fire escape, just hidden from the view of the smokey creature, her flute to her mouth as she made an illusion. Glancing around the corner herself, Ladybug saw the creature turning its attention to the illusion of Ladybug that Rena was creating to distract it.

Carapace turned away from her, but she grabbed his wrist “our attacks, we can’t touch it. If we touch it, we’ll just pass right through it, but it can touch us so be careful. Our attacks seem to work though.”

Carapace digested this information for a second, then nodded “let's get on the roof and make a plan. You okay to get up there yourself?”

Her chest still ached, but she nodded. Using her yoyo she was on the rooftop above them faster than the turtle, with Rena climbing the fire escape the join them after both had detransformed for a moment to recharge their kwamis. The illusion-bug was still distracting it the smoke creature, so it hadn’t noticed them, but the stranger Ladybug assumed was control it certainly had.

“Who’s that?” Rena asked, peering closer “I thought it was Chat for a second…”

“Me too” Ladybug muttered, then louder “I don’t know, but I’m going to bet that since she just watched me get crushed that she is probably behind all this.”

“She say anything?” Carapace asked, also staring at their new enemy – who had spotted them, her face twisting into an ugly snarl.

“No.”

“Damn, almost miss how chatty Hawkmoth was about his intentions” Rena scowled, twirling her flute in one hand.

Their conversation was cut short by a piercing shriek. For a terrifying moment, Ladybug thought a civilian had been caught up in the chaos, it took her a few seconds to realise it was coming from the mystery miraculous holder. She was now sitting in an odd crouch, her lips pulled back so her teeth could be seen clearly, the piercing sound still coming from her as she pointed at them.

At the sound the shadow creature looking around, abandoning the illusion-bug, and spotted the real heroes on their rooftop. It immediately began advancing towards them, and the mystery woman stopped shrieking.

“Fucking hell” Rena cursed, having clamped her hands over her ears at the shriek.

“Try to rescue the man” Ladybug pointed at the victim still suspended in the smoky monster’s chest “I can purify him and this thing will disappear, but be careful. You can't touch it, but it can still touch you!”

“Got it LB” both Rena and Carapace nodded before the three heroes’ split into different directions tearing the smoky creatures focus between them.

Even with the three of them, it was difficult. Every time they got close to even trying to free the victim, they would get knocked back by a smokey limb, or have to dodge a bit of debris that threatened to crush them. Ladybug was catching her breath, watching as Rena made a dash to try and dive through its chest for the victim while Carapace kept it distracted, only for it to turn last minute and catch her, swinging her around and throwing her into the turtle hero who was nearly knocked off the roof entirely by the momentum as he tried his best to catch the fox girl.

Ladybug was about to leap back into the fight when an odd noise, a soft sort of clicking, made her glance to her left. A young man, probably no older than his twenties, was standing barely a few meters away in the middle of the street with a camera to his face taking photographs of the fight.

Ladybug gaped at him, “what the hell are you doing, get out of here!”

The man jumped looked at her, seemingly surprised, dropping his camera guiltily. She then watched as his expression changed, his eyes widening as they focused on something behind her, mouth falling open. She felt the strands of her hair that had been freed from the bun on her head during the battle shift, and it was all the warning she needed. Ladybug dove forward, grabbing the man by his arm and throwing him to the right into the safety of an alleyway, before turning and finding the giant bit of rubble the shadow creature had thrown at her was already bearing down on her and falling quickly. She scrambled back, shutting her eyes.

Something warm crashed into her from the side, knocking the wind out of her and slamming her against the stone wall of a nearby building. Coughing again, she opened her eyes in surprise and nearly choked in shock when her gaze met familiar green iris.

Coughing from the dust himself, Chat took a few steps back so she was no longer caged again the wall by his embrace, and the two heroes stared at each other, old friends and yet feeling as though they where strangers.

They where distracted when Rena yelled, once again getting thrown off course by the shadow monster as she’d gone to try and retrieve the victim.

Looking back at him, Ladybug gave a simple sharp nod. They’d talk later, Chat read in her eyes, and returned the nod.

“Can you keep that thing distracted?” Ladybug requested, nodding towards the shadow.

“I’ll do my best” it was the first time she’d heard him speak in years, and it was enough to know how much he’d changed. He didn’t smile at her like he once would, or salute, or flirt, or give her a nickname. His voice was flat, emotionless. It reminded her of someone, but she didn’t have time to dwell, watching the black cat spring into action as he raced towards the shadow. She followed, going in the opposite direction and trying to get behind the creature.

She expected him to yell, to joke or make a pun. But Chat Noir stayed silent as he pounced and ran along the rooftops until he was directly in front of what they supposed was the creatures face. He smirked, and waved, before flinging himself in a smooth leap across the street aided only slightly by his baton when its smoky fist tried to grab him. He found another spot and continued to wait until just the last moment before he leapt out of the way again.

Ladybug climbed up to a high rooftop that hadn’t yet been destroyed so she could get a clear shot through the creatures back at the victim. A spot of orange waving on the roof directly opposite told her Rena was waiting to assist if it was needed. Twirling her yoyo in preparation, Ladybug took a deep breath to steady herself, before she threw it and swung.

She half expected it not to work. To feel a solid fist grip her body, or slap her away like she was nothing more than a bit of dust. Thankfully that didn’t happen, and this time she passed through the creature, wrapping her arm around the waist of the victim and dragging him with her out of the creature's chest. Rena met them on the rooftop when she landed, making it much more graceful than when she’d rescued the woman the first time, the fox hero grabbing hold of the man so that Ladybug could steady herself and not fall over this time.

The smoke creature let out a terrible groan, turning away from Chat and Carapace to where the girls were laying the victim on the ground, Ladybug feverishly searching for wherever the poison had entered his body. She found the puncture wound stained with black veins on the man’s side, just under this shirt, and held her yoyo over it to draw out the poison breathing a sigh of relief as the advancing creature began to fade away. Once again, as the last bit of dark shadow was pulled from the victim’s body and his eyes began to clear of the blackness in them, it disappeared from existence altogether.

An inhuman hiss drew their attention back to another rooftop across the street from them, where the mystery miraculous holder was grinding her teeth, her odd-looking tail slashing the air before curving up along her back in a threatening display before she turned away – jumping from the roof and out of sight. Ladybug stood to give chase, distracted though when the victim at her feet began to groan.

“You take care of him, we’ll go after her!” Carapace yelled as he and Chat raced after the mystery woman. Chat hesitated just a moment, looking over his shoulder and meeting Ladybug’s eyes, before following the turtle holder. She still wanted to follow but knew the man at their feet was important too, so turned her attention to him. Besides, she trusted Carapace and Chat…

The man was as bewildered about the situation as the first victim had been, though he was a little more defensive when he asked the two hero’s what had happened to him. He was confused because he thought he could only be possessed if he had strong negative emotions. Ladybug could only explain to him that she wasn’t sure how or why this new villain was possessing people, but that it wasn’t the same as Hawkmoth. Surprisingly, the man accepted her honest answer without any of the anger his earlier defensiveness made her think he’d hold. Ladybug still wanted him to get the puncture wound from where the poison had entered his body checked out, and Rena offered to help him to the hospital nearby, a knowing look on the fox girls face that she was aware Ladybug had some unfinished business with the sudden appearance of their fourth teammate.

Ladybug used her miraculous ladybug to clean up the destruction the attack had caused, then de-transformed to let Tikki recharge before heading to one of the usual spots she’d wait for Chat back in the old days. She wasn’t actually sure if he’d turn up, but if he wanted to talk now then she’d be waiting for him.

It was a little while before she heard footsteps behind her.

“Ladybug” Chat’s unusually flat voice made her turn as he sat down near her, not next to her like he used to, letting one of his legs dangle over the edge of the building while keeping the other bent so he could rest his outstretched arm on it. He kept his eyes fixed on the horizon. “We couldn’t catch her.”

Ladybug nodded, she hadn’t actually expected them to “I didn’t think it would be that easy” she confessed “whoever that was, I don’t think they would have shown up and taken the risk if they didn’t think they could escape if things didn’t turn out their way.”

Chat nodded, but still didn’t look at her.

The silence stretched between them, Ladybug began drumming her fingers on her thigh nervously, stealing the occasional glance at him. She wasn’t used to silence from Chat, but she couldn’t fool herself into believing the years he was gone hadn’t changed him. He’d always been good looking, but now he’d really grown into himself. He wasn’t the boy she knew, this was a man, and she couldn’t help but take notice. His chiselled jaw, the slope of his nose, and the just-rolled-out-of-bed look to his hair where enough to make any woman look twice. It didn’t help any that his suit had also changed with age, though not nearly as much as hers had. She thought the claws on his gloves looked longer, though that could just be her memory playing tricks, but the thing that really drew her attention was the fact his bell zip collar was lower than usual, not by much, but enough to give her a peek at defined collar bones and what looked to be a chiselled chest.

Dragging her gaze away she swallowed and admonished herself for checking him out. Deciding it was probably safer to follow his example, she fixed her gaze on the horizon and cleared her throat. “You know, I always imagined what I’d say if you ever came back, but now you’re here… I can’t really decide what to say.”

He glanced at her, but looked away quickly, “I… didn’t plan on coming back at all.”

“Oh,” she felt her heart sink, hurt stabbing at her chest. But there it was, plain as day. He’d only come back because of these new attacks. “I’m sorry you had to come back.”

“It's not your fault” Chat frowned, looking at her for real now “if anything, I should be apologising for leaving without telling you.”

Ladybug blinked in confused “I… thought you did tell me. After we saw Hawkmoth being arrested? You told me ‘it's over’?”

Chat looked puzzled for a moment, then his ears sprang up as he realised what she meant “oh, oh no Ladybug. I just meant that the fight was over… I didn’t mean that _we_ were over… though, I guess since I left right after that I kind of did…”

Despite the fact he obviously didn’t want to be back, she couldn’t help but feel relief washing over her. For years she’d thought he meant their partnership was over, that it was his final callous goodbye. To know that wasn’t what she’d meant, felt like a weight was lifted from her heart she hadn’t been fully aware was there.

“Why did you leave Chat?” she finally asked.

“I had to” his growled, standing up as his leather tail lashed behind him a little harsh, and she felt her eyebrows raise in surprise.

“Why?”

“I don’t have to tell you everything Ladybug” he glared, fixing her with his slitted gaze.

Ladybug held her hands up in surrender “okay, Chat, you don’t need to tell me. I shouldn’t have pushed…”

His ear twitched, and he looked away.

Sighing, Ladybug stood too “really, Chat, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. I guess I just…” she didn’t know what to say to him. She wanted to tell him she had missed him, that she still didn’t understand why he’d needed to leave. The situation reminded her of Adrien, but at least she could try to understand why he had left, but when she really thought about it, what did she really know about Chat’s life beyond the mask?

“I’ll be around for a while,” Chat said when it was clear she wasn’t going to finish her sentence “I’ll help with whatever this is while I am, but I’ll be moving on soon.”

“Oh” she choked on the word, she had just gotten him back and he was going to leave again, and he didn’t even seem to care.

He had turned away from her, clearly intent to leave “you, Carapace and Rena Rogue were doing well without me anyway. You won’t need me.”

With a swing of his baton, he disappeared, not looking back, leaving Ladybug standing on the roof alone feeling very much like she had six years ago when she’d waited in that very spot for the last time, knowing he wouldn’t show up.

“But I do need you Chat,” she said aloud, for no one to hear.

****

Adrien Agreste was in a foul mood, and it had nothing to do with the traffic jam caused by the morning’s attack.

He’d called ahead to his office to tell them he’d be late back from his meeting due to traffic, but it was a lie. Aside from his morning exercise in Chat Noir’s mask, he’d swung but Master Fu’s in the hope the guardian had returned from wherever he’d gone. It was too late for him to get the guardians advice on how to approach Ladybug, but they needed help with whoever this new miraculous holder was and their abilities. But there was no such luck, the not open sign still hanging in the guardian’s window.

He kept his head down when walking the short distance from where he parked his car to the entrance of his offices. Even then he didn’t make eye contact with them. He didn’t want to be recognised, despite how impossible that was in his own building. He just couldn’t escape the feeling he was being watched, being judged, whispered conversations taking place behind his back…

It was like he was a teenager all over again, reliving his father’s arrest.

Alone in the elevator leading to his office, Adrien groaned out loud and rubbed both his hands down his face. He should have known coming back to Paris was a bad idea. But it didn’t seem he could outrun his father’s shadow, no matter how far he went. Coming back to the heart of it, though, what had he been thinking?

Adrien liked to think of himself as a nice guy. Someone approachable, kind. But that wasn’t how a lot of people treated him anymore. He noticed it when he left Paris especially. It was like people were waiting for him to explode, a walking minefield they didn’t want to get too close to. Usually, he only noticed the odd look someone might throw him or the way someone might address him with far more nerves than necessary. Then there where the people who would openly gossip, not-so-hushed whispers where he could plainly see. When he was still a teenager it had affected him quite badly, especially in that period right after his father’s arrest, and he’d fallen into a period during which he even hated himself. His aunt had gotten him help, she had become his legal guardian until he was eighteen, even though he shut her out of his life too. Eventually, he’d learned to shut out the looks and whispers, developing a shell around himself to protect against them, but it didn’t really take the sting away.

He recomposed himself by the time the elevator doors reopened, stepping out and trying to return Sophia’s smile of greeting – though from her expression and how quickly she looked away he assumed he failed at the smile. He was relieved when he finally got to enter his office, shutting the door behind him.

“You know what they say about taking the weight of the world on your shoulders…” Plagg felt out of his pocket to towards the bookshelf where he liked to hide.

“No,” Adrien frowned at him “what do they say?”

“I dunno, probably that you’ll get back shoulders.”

“Thanks, Plagg, I thought you were going to say something helpful for a second there.”

“Clearly you don’t know me very well. Where’s my cheese?”

Adrien waved him towards the coffee table where the lunch he’d ordered was waiting, though he had no appetite for it, as well as a large slice of camembert. He knew there was probably a rumour going around all of his offices that he had an addiction to the smelly stuff, considering how many times he ordered it for Plagg, but he couldn’t bring himself to care that much.

He fell into his desk chair with an ungraceful sigh, not even bothering to take off his wool coat, feeling the soft leather give out a soft ‘whomph’ at his sudden weight.

His reunion with Ladybug hadn’t gone as well as he’d hoped, and he took the blame for that. He’d snapped at her when all she’d done, and very reasonably asked, why he’d left. At the time though he’d just felt stung by the question, and it wasn’t like he could explain to her that it was because the city _hated_ him, that his father was _Hawkmoth_ , that he’d helped to put _his own father_ in prison.

He rubbed his face again, searching in his coat pocket for his phone.

His hand wrapped around the smooth surface of the phone, as well as something rough. Frowning, he pulled his hand back out of his pocket, and raise his eyebrows. He’d completely forgotten about the card Marinette had given him a few days ago when he’d run into her.

He lifted it, inspecting it. She’d obviously hand-made it, he could feel the rise of the ink against the rough surface of the card as the gold lettering glinted in the light of his office. Again, he noticed the web address and after a moment, unlocked his desk computer and typed it in. He could use a distraction, and seeing what Marinette had been up to would satisfy some of his budding curiosity over what she’d been doing with her life. It was part of why he’d asked in his meeting with her why she’d never sought a full-time job with the company, a question he hadn’t asked any of the other designers he’d met with.

Her website was simple, but there was still a unique Marinette quality to it. He found himself browsing the modest selection of designs she had up for sale at that moment, as well as the upcoming for spring designs she’s posted for pre-order, before getting lost in the gallery she’d set up displaying past designs that she would apparently still take orders for on a commission basis. He didn’t know how long he browsed, though at some point a smile had worked itself onto his face. He couldn’t help but feel an odd sense of pride for his old friend blooming in his chest. He could remember how often she’d talked about her passion for designing and her dreams. He was glad that she was making her dream a reality, and he wasn’t at all surprised to read the raving reviews left by her clients on the website. She was incredibly talented – honestly, if she had expressed to him the day he asked her that she did want a full-time position in his company he’d have hired her in a heartbeat.

“Why are you smiling like that?” Plagg had finished his cheese, and had been hovering over his shoulder for god knows how long. Adrien jumped when he spoke, swatting a hand at him.

“I’m not smiling.”

“Yeah, you are” Plagg had a sly look on his face “because of your girlfriend, ah, just like old times.”

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

“As I said, just like old times” the kwami cackled, dodging when his chosen swatted at him again.

Choosing to ignore him, Adrien turned back to the website and his thoughts about Marinette. Some of her old designs were actually familiar to him, he’d seen her doodling them in her sketchpad six years ago, a fact that brought his nostalgic smile back despite the sideways grin Plagg threw him. he could remember that day in detail, despite the fact it wasn’t exactly an eventful day. He only remembered it because it was one of the last times, he, Marinette, Alya and Nino had hung out before he’d left the city.

He sat forward suddenly, remembering the conversation that day, and an idea forming in his head. He pulled a notebook from his desk draw, ignoring Plagg when he asked what he was doing, and began writing some things down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, these chapters are just getting longer and longer. Eh, whatever. 
> 
> So yep, a very brief talk when Chat and Ladybug reunite. Ladybug is confused, and Chat/Adrien is having issues. 
> 
> I wonder what Adrien remembered?


	8. Chapter Eight

“I swear Tikki, this sort of thing is exactly why I asked him to get a phone.”

“Calm down Marinette” the tiny god of creation giggled from where she sat on top of the cookie jar on her chosen’s kitchen countertop, waiting for the batch of cookies they had just baked together to finish cooking. “I’m sure Master Fu will be back soon, wherever he’s gone he’s probably heard about what’s happening here so I can’t see him staying away very long.”

“Yeah” Mari drummed her fingers on the countertop “I still wish he’d get a phone.”

She’d gone to see if Master Fu had returned earlier, since Alya had cancelled their lunch date due to the attack, and she needed to visit the grocery store in that area anyway. He still hadn’t returned, much to her frustration. The attack that morning played heavily on her mind, if Carapace and Rena hadn’t arrived when they did Marinette was sure she wouldn’t be standing there right now. This mystery woman had intended to kill her, she was sure of it. But why? And who was she?

“She would have killed me today Tikki” Marinette aired her opinion quietly to her kwami, though her voice echoed in the otherwise empty kitchen. She had been thinking a lot about what had happened that morning, the smirk on the mystery miraculous users face as she’d watched Ladybug suffocating…

Tikki’s grin slipped, her eyes becoming wide and serious “I know Marinette. You’re going to need to be so much more careful… but at least Chat came back. I know I feel a lot better now that someone will be watching your back again.”

“Hmm” Marinette hummed. She wasn’t so sure… Chat was different now. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but even though they’d only seen each other briefly, there was an edge to him now. He was serious and quiet. He’d also made it pretty clear that he wasn’t there to stay, so how could she rely on him to turn up to every future fight?

She checked on the cookies in the over, seeing they had become a lovely golden brown, she began to take the tray out of the oven and nearly dropped it when her phone rang suddenly, managing to burn her wrist on the hot tray.

She hissed, putting the tray on the countertop as quickly as she could without dropping the cookies, and grabbed her phone with the uninjured hand. She answered without looking, knowing it was probably Alya since she was the only person who ever called her anymore.

“Hey, Alya, one sec-“she answered, turning on the cold tap to run her burnt wrist under the water.

“Umm…” a deep voice, and certainly not Alya’s, replied “Marinette?”

He blinked a few times before her brain managed to put a name to the voice. It took her a second since it brought to mind two people, but there was no way that Chat Noir knew her phone number, so she went with the more obvious answer. “Adrien?”

“Hi, um, yes. Sorry, were you expecting a call from Alya?”

“Oh, no, it's just that she’s usually the only person who calls me. Everyone else usually texts.” Mari explained, trying to stop her voice sounding more high-pitched than usual, still surprised he’d called her. She knew she’d given him her card a few days ago but in honesty, she hadn’t actually expected he’d reach out. He had seemed so set on not getting involved with anyone from his past again.

“Ah” he was silent for a moment, before finally asking “are you busy?”

“No, no. I was just baking when you called and I, uh, might have burnt myself on the oven. I can talk.”

“Are you sure, it’s not a serious burn is it?”

“Just superficial, not even a mark.”

“Oh, good. Well, not good you got burned but… you know what I mean.”

Marinette chuckled, turning off the tap and wrapping a towel Tikki handed her around her hand. “Adrien, was there a particular reason you called me or was it just to chat? Not that I’m complaining.”

It was Adrien’s turn the chuckle now, the warm sound making Marinette smile widely “there’s a reason if you’re sure you’re not busy?”

“I’m all yours,” she said, and then slapped a hand over her head. Why had she said that? Oh god, it was like being fourteen all over again. “I -uh – I mean, I’m listening. I’m not busy.” She shot a glare at Tikki who was laughing at her on the countertop.

“I had an idea” even Adrien sounded like he was trying not to laugh, clearing his throat until he could speak in a more professional tone that reminded her of their meeting together. Apparently, he could just turn that attitude on and off then, she thought. “More of a proposal actually, regarding the inclusion of freelance designers in the final lines of Agreste Fashions.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, just a work in progress at the moment, actually. There’s still quite a bit I would need to sort out to make it work, but… I thought that maybe you would be willing to help me with that.”

Marinette frowned, saying nothing, until she remembered that he couldn’t see her expression. “Uh, you want my help?”

“If you’re willing.”

“I, well… what kind of proposal is it?”

“I was hoping you wouldn’t mind coming down to my office to discuss it, like I said there’s a lot that still needs to be sorted out, and I’d like to explain it to you properly. I have a few meetings tomorrow morning, but I’m free around lunchtime if that would be good with you?”

“I uh, lunchtime tomorrow, sounds good” she agreed, a bit bewildered.

“Perfect, I’ll see you then.”

“Yeah, see you” Mari repeated, putting the phone down beside the cookies when he’d hung up.

“Soooo” Tikki had a smirk on her face “who was that?”

“Like you didn’t hear the entire conversation” Mari rolled her eyes, rubbing a finger across Tikki’s head playfully.

The kwami giggled “what does Adrien want your help with?”

“I'm not sure, he just said he had a proposal idea for the freelancers like me who work with Agreste Fashions…”

“Are you okay Marinette?”

“Hmm, oh, yeah I’m okay Tikki” Mari mumbled, staring thoughtfully at her phone. Honestly, she was trying to figure Adrien out. He confused her, his behaviour, when they had first met in his office, was aloof and detached, but when she’d met him by the river – and on the phone just now - he’d behaved slightly more like the Adrien she remembered. She wondered which one she’d be meeting in his office tomorrow. She hoped that after their talk by the river the other night he might be a little bit more relaxed with her.

“Marinette!” Tikki gasped suddenly.

“What?”

“Didn’t you re-arrange your lunch date with Alya for tomorrow too?” the kwami reminded her.

“Oh, crap!” Mari cursed, hitting her head with her first “I completely forgot…”

She picked up her phone, intending to call her best friend, but paused. She didn’t really want to cancel on her again, considering they’d been forced to cancel their lunch today because of the attack, and she had run out on their dinner together the other night when she’d tried to find Chat. She sighed, finding Alya’s contact and hitting dial.

“Girl, I swear you must be psychic because I was just thinking about you” Alya answered without a hello after three rings.

“Should I be scared?”

“Nah” Alya clicked her tongue over the phone “it was only because I found our favourite ice cream on sale, I’m at the grocery store. So, what’s up?”

“I… I’m really sorry Alya, I know we rearranged our lunch date for tomorrow but I have an unexpected meeting come up…”

“Aaand you need to reschedule” Alya finished, and Mari could almost see her nodding in her head “girl, I feel like every time we try to get together something else gets in the way!”

“I know!” Mari agreed, flailing her arm out though Alya couldn’t see “I feel like we haven’t had a chance to talk at all!”

“Hmm, well. Are you busy tonight?”

“Tonight?”

“Yeah!” Alya sounded enthusiastic now “Nino’s going to be at a gig, and I don’t have any work to catch up on, so if you wanted to come over, we can binge Netflix and ice cream?”

“How can I say no to that!” Mari grinned “I can come over after I drop off my mom’s book at the bakery, I borrowed it and keep forgetting to return it.”

“Sounds like a plan, I’ll see you tonight M.”

“See you later Alya.”

****

Her visit with her parents actually turned out a bit longer than expected, though she wasn’t entirely shocked by that. Her mother wanted to show Marinette the new varieties of cake decorations she’d brought home from the convention she’d attended, and of course, had asked Mari how her designing was going which had led to her telling them about the meeting with Adrien about his mystery proposal. Her parents were supportive, though they had cautioned her.

She’d been confused by their warnings, since they had always liked Adrien when she was younger, but her parents assured her that they had no ill will towards him. they just didn’t want her to get caught up in the gossip going around a few magazines and websites they had seen – it was the first Marinette had seen of it, and she ended up sucked down a rabbit hole, browsing with her mother though a dozen articles from nonsense websites that tried to link Adrien with his father’s crimes, the old gossip being dragged back into the light due to the new attacks. She remembered how they’d done the same thing after Gabriel’s arrest, some even going so far as to claim Adrien had left the city because he was guilty, it had boiled her blood back then and she felt her ire rising again now.

On the walk from the bakery to Alya and Nino’s apartment, she wondered if she should bring up what these clickbait websites were saying about him but ultimately decided against it unless he brought it up himself.

She tried to push her annoyance aside once she got to Alya’s, giving her a box of pastry treats her parents had sent over for her and Nino. Once with Alya, it was easy to forget, considering the first half of the night was spent with Alya filling Mari in on all the gossip from the news office where she worked, as well as on her latest blog posts on the Ladyblog (the website was experiencing such a rush in traffic due to the new attacks it had actually crashed a few times). The girls ordered a pizza to share as they caught up, Mari showing Alya a few possible designs she was thinking about working on more seriously, but it wasn’t until much later on when they had cracked open the tubs of ice cream and binge-watching a few episodes of one of their favourite shows that the conversation took a turn.

“I really like this one, I think you should put that on your website with the spring stuff” Alya pointed at a picture on Mari’s phone, a dress she had a half-finished design for.

“Mmm, yeah I do like that one too, but I was thinking more for summer – if I use a more breathable material” Mari nodded.

“How’s your business going anyway?”

“The website has steady traffic and a few regulars which is great. I had my meeting with Agreste Fashions and they’re taking _both_ my designs for the spring line and Adri- uh…” Mari paused, glancing at Alya. She wasn’t sure exactly how the redhead would react knowing she was meeting with Adrien, of all people, and caught herself from saying his name. “Uh, that’s who my ‘eeting- uh – meeting, is with tomorrow as well. About something else.”

Alya scowled “what was that?”

“What was what?”

The redhead raised an eyebrow “girl, you suck at hiding things.”

Mari stared blankly at her. _Oh, if only you knew…_

“Okay so aside from your voice going so high you’re about to set off my neighbour's chihuahua, and messing your words up which you totally only do when your nervous-” Alya fixed her with a glare, it was a glare Marinette was very familiar with, it was her I-know-what’s-going-on-even-when-you-try-to-hide-it glare “- you nearly said ' _Adrien_ '.”

Chewing on her lip nervously, Mari looked at her ice cream and stabbed it with her spoon “’m sorry. I wasn’t sure if you’d want me to bring him up… but yeah. I have a meeting with Adrien tomorrow, he actually called me to ask for it. After I behaved pretty poorly during our first meeting last week…”

“Last week!” Alya sat up straighter “Woah, Woah, hold up. Are you telling me that you met with Adrien a _week_ ago and you didn’t tell me every tiny detail? Girl, I’m hurt.”

Mari shrugged “sorry, I was going to tell you the other night when I ran out of here, but I was just so tired I kind of forgot.”

Alya shook her head “it’s a good job I love you. So, come on, what happened?”

Mari told Alya about her meeting with Adrien, including her jabbing remarks, and though Alya thought it was well deserved for her to act as she did Marinette argued that it wasn’t. She also told Alya that she’d apologised to him later when she’d accidentally run into him jogging. Alya did relent that he was nice enough to walk her home at night, also scolding Mari for running around the city alone at night (again, Mari thought about what she’d think if she knew she didn’t that quite often in her Ladybug suit) before they came to the topic of him calling her for a meeting the next day. By the time she was finished telling her every little detail – because Alya would accept no less – the other girl was looking pensively into her glass of wine.

“Marinette, do you still have feelings for Adrien?”

“What?” Mari wrinkled her nose “where did that come from? I haven’t had feelings for him for a long time, you know that.”

“Yeah, I know that even after you ‘got over’ your crush you still had a huge soft spot for him” Alya pointed out, giving her best friend a look, her voice grave “and I also know how hurt you were when he left us. I was there, I picked up the pieces for both you and Nino.”

Mari looked at her best friend with a doleful expression, it was the first time she’d ever heard Alya express her thoughts (besides anger with Adrien) about what had happened back then. Worse, as she knew exactly what Alya was talking about. Marinette had been a mess when Adrien disappeared, but she couldn’t tell her best friend the whole truth. That she was a mess because she didn’t just lose one of her best friends, she lost Chat Noir as well as Adrien. Worse, back then Marinette had blamed herself for Adrien leaving. After all, she was Ladybug. The one who put his father in prison and pretty much ruined his life.

Alya continued “I was upset he left us too, you know, but what made me really angry was seeing how much it hurt you and Nino. To Nino, Adrien was more like a brother. I can't tell you how many times I found him crying over that boy, because I lost count. Sometimes I’m not even sure if he stopped before I found him again…”

Marinette had never heard any of this, though she knew Nino had been deeply hurt when Adrien left and rejected any method to contact him, Alya had never told her how bad it truly was. Thinking back, between consoling Nino and dragging Marinette out of her bed to make sure she actually ate something that day, when did Alya had time to grieve the loss for herself? Did she even get the chance?

“I don’t think you have to worry about me feeling anything for Adrien,” she told her quietly, looking at her friend with a new light, “he told me he’s not planning on staying in the city for very long anyway.”

“You sure?”

“Positive” Mari nudged her “and if you think I’m catching feelings you have full and absolute permission to knock some sense into me.”

“Careful, I might actually have to do that” Alya joked, making them both laugh, then looking at her best friend slyly “though, the best way to stop you getting all lovestruck over your old crush might be to start dating again?”

“Oh, don’t even go there. My last date was so terrible I think it put me off for life!” Mari threw Alya a look which had the other girl cackling. Alya knew very well how Marinette’s last attempt at dating had gone – any date that ended with someone climbing out of the bathroom window of a bar to escape was not going to enamour anyone to the dating scene.

Alya was still laughing when she gasped suddenly, asking in a voice that suggested Mari’s life might depend on it “do you have an outfit planned for your meeting tomorrow?”

“Uh, not yet?”

“You need to look gorgeous” Alya was sitting up straighter now, waving her ice cream spoon at Mari “like, not that you don’t always look gorgeous, but we’re talking like eat-your-heart-out-Mr-Agreste kind of gorgeous?”

“Why?” Marinette laughed “I thought you didn’t want me falling for him again, isn’t that kind of counterproductive?”

“I want you to be careful, that doesn’t mean you can't make him eat his heart out over you” Alya wriggled her eyebrows “let him wonder what he missed out on. It’s the principle of the thing, besides, you can’t tell me it wouldn’t feel just a little bit good?”

Mari shook her head, laughing “Alya come on, he never thought of me in that way, so he probably won't care what he missed out on.”

Before Alya could reply the girls where disturbed by the front door of the apartment opening, a tired-looking Nino coming through the door still humming what was no doubt one of the songs he’d played on his set that night, grinning when he entered the room and saw the two of them.

“Evening ladies, how goes girl’s night?”

“Pretty good, probably should have bought more ice cream though” Alya waved her mostly empty tub “I’m trying to convince Marinette that she needs to look eat-your-heart-out gorgeous for this meeting she’s going to.”

“Yeah? Why does she need to look eat-your-heart-out gorgeous?” Nino tilted his head, puzzled “is it with an ex or something?”

“Uhh…” Marinette wasn’t sure what to say, considering what Alya had just told her about how Nino felt when Adrien had left.

She didn’t need to tell him though, because it was Alya who gently told him “her meeting is at Agreste Fashions, with Adrien of all people.”

Nino looked between them, blinking. “Oh.”

“Yeah… he’s in town because the man I usually meet with retired unexpectedly…” Mari babbled, only stopping herself by shoving a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth, watching as Nino schooled the frown he’d started to develop into a carefully blank expression.

“Right” the DJ nodded, though he wasn’t looking at either of them “well… I guess I’m going to head to bed. Late night and all…” he wandered off down the hallway slowly, not even bothering to remove his coat, before disappearing into their bedroom.

Mari stared after him with concern, but Alya only gave her a sad ‘I-told-you-so’ look.

****

Marinette didn’t stay too late at Alya’s, going home not long after Nino had come home. She didn’t want to intrude, considering how upset Nino had seemed, leaving earlier than she normally would have done to let Alya go and see if he really was alright.

When she was getting ready to go to the meeting the next day though, Alya’s words came back hauntingly, and in the end, Marinette did put quite a bit of effort into her looks that day. She told herself it was because looking gorgeous made her feel more confident, and not because she wanted Adrien to ‘eat-his-heart-out’ as Alya had put it.

She chose to wear a dress that was one of her own designs. The dress was split into two halves, the top was a solid burgundy red, with a skirt that boasted thick stripes of cream, black and latte brown some of which had diamond patterns to add a little something interesting. She had made it of soft wool fabric, warm enough to be worn in winter, and tight enough to show off her figure. The skirt stopped about mid-thigh, and the sleeves only went to her elbows. She really loved this particular dress, and knew she looked good in it. She paired it with black tights, and knee-high black boots. She even went to the effort of curling her hair ever so slightly, before applying a tiny bit of dark eye makeup.

She had to admit when she arrived at Adrien’s office and Sophia waved at her to go straight in since he was waiting for her, she couldn’t help but feel satisfied by his reaction when he saw her.

“Ah, Mar-uh, Miss Dupain-Cheng” he greeted without looking up when she knocked on the door and peered around it at his invitation. “Thank you… uh…” he trailed off a little, as he finally looked up and saw her, looking her up and down.

Mari fought a blush, she hadn’t thought she’d render him speechless but decided to act as though she hadn’t noticed his response. “Oh please, just call me Marinette. Everyone else does.”

“Uh…” Adrien nodded stiffly “if you insist. So, thank you for agreeing to meet today. I know it was a bit short notice.”

“It’s no problem, actually after your phone call I was more than a little curious, so it’s not like you twisted my arm” she shrugged “so, you said you had an idea for a proposal?”

“Yes…” he fiddled with some papers and a magazine on his desk, which was a lot messier than it had been when she visited the week before, occasionally glancing up at her until he found the notepad he was looking for. Clearing his throat, he began “So, I was thinking about how I could improve the inclusion of budding freelance designers within the company – including your designs in our seasonal lines just doesn’t seem like enough when the whole point of the inclusion was to offer a leg up into the industry and make names your yourselves.”

Marinette nodded, letting him continue.

“So, my idea was… what if I could arrange a scheme in which Agreste Fashions could provide premises for individual designers? Online shops are fine and all –“ he tapped on the desk, where she saw the card she had given him resting near the notepad and tried not to blush knowing he must have checked out her website “- but an actual store, not only does it offer more foot traffic and word of mouth awareness, it would allow for people like you Marinette to create your own brands. Really make a name for yourself.”

Adrien let out a breath once he finished speaking, watching her. He’d seen her blush lightly when she realised, he’d checked out her website, and her cheeks where still adorably pink, but her expression was pensive as the thought over what he said.

“So… you want to, what, buy shops and give them to little-known designers like me so we can be more successful?” Mari tilted her head “isn’t that a bit detrimental, creating competition for yourself there Mr Agreste?”

Adrien leaned back in his seat “Agreste Fashions will take a percentage of profits from these stores, and possibly feature any designs we think are suitable in our seasonal lines. Think of these stores are more… sub-stores, of the main Agreste Fashions line. It gives designers an opportunity to work with a moderate amount of independence from my company, and they get to start their own brands away from the blemish that could come with the Agreste name. What do you think?”

Mari considered it, chewing her lip. Adrien tried not to concentrate on that, drumming his finger’s nervously on the arm of his chair as he waited for her answer.

“I think it’s a really great idea” Marinette finally replied, smiling “I can tell you that this industry is not easy to get into on your own, and I’m lucky I’m having as much success as I am, but others really struggle. The fact you want to help them is pretty great, though you’d still be running a risk that some may not be successful.”

Adrien shrugged off her concern, smiling “so, how would you like to be the first designer to participate in this scheme?”

“Me?” she squeaked “why me? I mean, after our last meeting I thought you wouldn’t want to risk it looking like favouritism to your old classmate…”

“Because I have faith you’ll flourish with this opportunity” Adrien spoke slowly, nodding “and while some might claim favouritism, I can’t think of anyone else more capable to work with me on this project. I know your skills Marinette, and as the first person under this scheme – if you accept – ill need you to work closely with me to work out any of the kinks and problems we face.”

Marinette chuckled, shaking her head slightly “I can’t quite tell if you mean that or if your hoping you can flatter me into agreeing to do this.”

Adrien felt a smile threaten to tug at his lips and raised his eyebrows. “I would never… I meant every word, if It happened to flatter you into agreeing at the same time then that’s a bonus.”

“Incorrigible” Mari’s chuckle became a full laugh now, and Adrien lost the fight against his smile, splitting into a grin at the sound.

“So, Marinette?”

She raised an amused eyebrow “fine, yes, I’ll be your guinea pig for your new project.”

He scoffed “hardly my ‘guinea pig’. Think of it more as a partnership, this project is quite ambitious. I’ll take care of most of it of course, but I want your input where you see fit.”

“You might regret that” Mari arched an eyebrow.

“Maybe” Adrien agreed, remembering more than a few times in their school years when she had shown her stubborn side “that’s why I trust you to help me with this, I can't think of anyone else who would tell me to my face is something wasn’t working.”

“I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or not” she frowned, but continued after getting a clear view of the magazine on his desk as he began shuffling through papers again. “I can tell you that you probably shouldn’t be reading rubbish like that” she nodded at the magazine, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

Adrien raised his eyebrows, “what’s wrong with magazines?”

“Nothing is wrong with magazines, but we both know why that one is sitting on your desk” she glared at him, fire lit in her blue eyes.

Tilting his head, Adrien considered her “so you’ve read it too?”

“I read what I could stomach when Maman showed me yesterday” she reached out, picking up the magazine from his desk. She’d actually read the online version yesterday, since her mother didn’t have a physical copy, so it actually took her a moment to find the article slandering Adrien.

“You knew what the press was saying about me, and you still agreed to work with me?” he sounded curious.

“Well of course” she shook her head, slamming the magazine shut again “this is all bullshit anyway, just like those articles that used to accuse you of being Mayura to help Hawkmoth.”

Adrien squinted “…they accused me of being Mayura?”

“Oh, you didn’t know? Yeah, apparently a miraculous can change you into a middle-aged woman now, according to a magazine like this anyway. Absurd.” Mari waved the magazine at him. “Why would you even read this trash?”

“I want to know what they’re saying about me… it can affect the company’s image after all.”

Marinette didn’t believe him for one second, staring hard as he picked at lint on his white oxford shirt. “Ad-uh, Mr Agreste. Forgive me for being so forward with you but the best thing you can do with magazines like this is burn them. They’re nothing but gossip rags, and they’ll drag your name through the mud again and again for their own profit. I know telling you to just ignore it won’t help you, it’s the most useless advice I can give, because it's _your_ name and you’ll always be bothered by it, but that doesn’t mean you should surround yourself with it. I figured trying to escape this kind of stuff would’ve been part of why you left the city in the first place, right? So why bring this mess back home again?”

Adrien gaped at her. He couldn’t help it, she’d spoken with such sincerity and passion, he couldn’t remember the last time anyone had expressed that much concern for him. He only managed to shake himself from his stare until he noticed that cute blush growing on her cheeks again. Clearing his throat, he said “I, uh… your right Marinette. and… please, call me Adrien.”

Mari felt her cheeks burning. She hadn’t quite meant to say as much as she did, and certainly hadn’t meant to tell him off, so she let out a sigh of relief that he wasn’t upset with her outburst. It was like she hadn’t been able to help it though, the anger she’d felt with the media for how they had treated Adrien six years ago returning suddenly with these new articles accusing him of the new attacks. Back then she hadn’t been able to say or do anything to help Adrien, he hadn’t given her or anyone else the chance to, and with him sitting right in front of her now she just couldn’t seem to stay quiet about it. She handed him the magazine back when he held out a hand for it, throwing it immediately into the rubbish bin by his desk. There was an odd look on his face when he glanced at her, the expression much softer, much more like his old self.

They stared at one another for a moment, until Adrien cleared his throat and tore his gaze away “I have to make some calls, but I’ll contact you with further details on the project once I have a clearer idea of where to begin, if that’s alright with you?”

“Yes, yep. No problems here” Mari jumped up, realising he was dismissing her, “uh, well, you have my details.”

“Yes,” he held up her card and nodded, looking slightly amused.

“Yeah, okay so… I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Oh yes, very soon I hope.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some insight into how Alya and Nino feel about Adrien. 
> 
> and a surprise move from Adrien, inviting Marinette to work with him.


	9. Chapter Nine

Entering the Dupain-Cheng bakery, Marinette breathed in the warm scents of baked goods and couldn’t help sigh – even though she hadn’t lived with her parents for years, she would probably always feel an immediate sense of ‘home’ every time she went into the bakery.

“Marinette!” her mother looked up from the register and smiled “I didn’t know you were coming in today honey, is everything okay?”

“Maman” Marinette greeted, coming around the counter and hugging her mother. “Everything is fine, I’m supposed to be meeting Alya but I’m guessing she’s not here yet?”

“I haven’t seen her, but it’s a bit busy…” her mother nodded to the restaurant area of the bakery, most of the seats filled by people enjoying a hot drink and a treat to escape the cold weather outside. The sky was an eerie grey today, the kind that promised snow, though not a single flake had fallen yet.

Her parents asked her how her meeting with Adrien went, so she explained to them the proposal he’d outlined and his offer to work with him that would eventually result in her own store, with a percentage of her profits going to Agreste Fashions and some of her designs still featuring in their seasonal lines. Her parents were impressed with the idea, it was extremely generous on Adrien’s part, and would help a lot of aspiring designers take a huge step forward in their careers.

Eventually, a line began to form as the bakery got busy again, Marinette left her parents alone to work and took a seat in the far corner of the bakery’s seating are, taking out her phone to go through her emails while she waited for Alya to arrive.

She had half hoped Adrien would have tried to contact her already, despite it being only a few hours since she’d left his office, feeling slightly disappointed when none of her notifications were from him.

Mari looked up, startled from her phone when the chair opposite her was dragged out and someone plopped themselves down to sit with her. She’d expected it to be Alya, immediately demanding to know what Adrien had wanted from her, so she was very surprised when found herself staring at a different, but no less familiar, face.

“Master Fu!” She hissed, sitting up straighter and glancing around the bakery to make sure no one noticed them (especially her parents, who’d have questions why she was meeting with the old man). He looked different, though mostly because he was bundled up in a grey coat instead of wearing his usual bright Hawaiian print shirt.

“Good afternoon Marinette,” he hummed, clasping his hands around the bakery to-go cup in his hands and looking amused “you look well.”

“I, uh… so do you” she stared at him, blinking “Master Fu, where have you been? I’ve been trying to get in touch with you about our new… situation…”

“Hmm yes, you and a stray cat I befriended a long time ago” the guardian nodded, a twinkle in his eye when he saw her raise her eyebrows knowing what he was saying without being obvious. “I had some business in Brittany, but I returned as soon as I heard what was going on. I apologise I couldn’t arrive sooner, but even I didn’t realise the severity of the situation until yesterday’s attack.”

Mari swallowed “how severe is the situation?”

“More than you or I would like I’m afraid” he took a sip of his drink, watching her over the plastic lid “I’m afraid that while Enenra is here I will have to take the miraculous box into hiding. She must not get her hands on the other miraculous, or yours and your friends.”

“Enenra?” she muttered, matching his hushed tone.

“She is the current holder of the scorpion miraculous. I believe you were informally introduced to one another yesterday.”

Marinette thought back to the mystery woman, the haunting black eyes that had stared at her as she struggled for every breath and scowled. “Have you met her before?”

“Not personally… but she has a reputation. There was an accident and… well. Enenra has been targeting guardians and other miraculous holders for years now. She seems to disappear now and then, but always returns quite unexpectedly.”

“What does she want?”

“Revenge.”

“But why?” Marinette asked in bewilderment, having to hush herself when she realised she’d been too loud and a few people nearby were giving her curious looks. “We’ve never done anything to her!”

Master Fu gave her a sympathetic look over his cup “if emotions were so simple to deal with a lot of history’s problems may never have happened. When something upsets you, do you always take out your ire on the object of your frustration?”

Mari understood his point, nodding as she felt her shoulders sag a little.

“ _We_ have not done anything wrong to Enenra, but she still perceives us as a piece of the whole problem. She will try to take your miraculous, and those of your teammates. You can't let that happen, but fighting her is going to be difficult.”

“How am I supposed to fight these shadow monsters if I can't touch them?” Mari sat back in her chair, growling out her question.

“Yokai” Master Fu corrected her “the Scorpion miraculous allows the user to infect people with her venom, creating shadow Yokai that take their energy from a suppressed emotion in the victim. As you can imagine, everyone has some kind of suppressed emotion- “

“- so Enenra can infect pretty much anyone in the city” Mari finished, horrified. There where thousands of people in Paris, thousands of potential Yokai…

Master Fu noticed her expression and gave her a sympathetic look, more than aware that while she was an incredibly capable Ladybug Marinette had a terrible habit of underestimating herself. It was part of what had made her partnership with Chat Noir so strong, as the black cat boy had a similar problem, yet the pair had in the past had an unshakeable faith in the other that only seemed to embolden them. He hoped that now Chat had returned they could repair their partnership, as they would need each other more than they knew to fight Enenra. “I could just take your miraculous, and Chat’s, Rena Rogues and Carapaces,” he said, seeing her eyes widen “flee the city with them, keep them safe from her. But I will not do that.”

“But what if _I_ cant keep them safe?” Mari shut her eyes, terrified at the prospect. What would Enenra do if she got hold of Tikki or any of the other kwami’s?

“You can do this Marinette, Enenra may have fought many guardians and holders alike but there has never been a team quite like yours. Stick together, the light of your friendships will shine through her shadows.”

“But-“ Marinette opened her eyes again, wanting to ask Master Fu exactly what she was supposed to do about Enenra, but the chair opposite her was empty. Looking around wildly, jerking in her seat enough to draw curious looks from other people in the bakery, she couldn’t see him anywhere. Deflating in her seat, she lifted the lid of her purse so she could see Tikki inside, knowing the kwami would have heard everything. “How the hell does he just disappear like that?”

“I think it’s part of the rules of being a ‘mysterious mentor’” Tikki whispered, peering up at her, her blue eyes wide and troubled “at least we have some answers now.”

“Yeah, and way more questions…” like why did Enenra want to take their miraculous? Did she want to use the wish that could come from combining the black cat and ladybug miraculous, just like Hawkmoth had? But if she wanted that, why did she take other miraculous too? And what was she doing with them? She had a feeling in her gut that Master Fu knew more than he was telling her about Enenra, which frustrated her.

She didn’t get a chance to dwell on it though before a bright voice asked “Questions about what?”

Marinette jumped, shutting her purse quickly on her lap and turning to look at Alya as she sat in the chair Master Fu had vacated with what she hoped was an innocent smile. “Oh, uh nothing. Nothing important anyway. Just general questions. Like, do penguins have knees?”

“Uh…okay? I think they do.” Alya gave her best friend a funny look “did the meeting go that badly that you're sitting around thinking about the skeletal structures of flightless birds?”

Mari blushed “no! I was just… bored. The meeting went well actually, I think.”

Alya leaned forward, far more interested in the meeting than she was her best friends seemingly random thoughts about penguins. “C’mon, dish. What did he want? I see you took my advice, you look gorgeous. Did he eat his heart out?”

“Um, I'm not sure” Mari blushed, looking at the table “he… did kind of stop talking when he saw me.”

“Damn girl!” Alya laughed “you rendered him literally speechless, that must have been satisfying.”

“I guess” it was flattering, but Marinette felt oddly embarrassed at the same time. After the topic of their meeting she couldn’t help wondering if she’d misunderstood his silence when he saw her as a reaction to her appearance, he may have just wondered if the dress was one of her designs too, after all, it wasn’t like Adrien had ever given her a second glance before.

Alya didn’t notice Marinette’s doubt though and pressed on while taking a bite of the muffin she’d bought when she came in. “So, what was the little mystery meeting about?”

“Oh, right. Uh… Adrien wants me to work with him on a project to help freelancers like me be more successful.”

Alya frowned “sounds good but how does he plan to do that? and why does he need _your_ help?”

“I think I’m more the experiment” Marinette shrugged “he wants to set designers up with their own shops, taking a small profit for his company, of course, kind of like a renters scheme I think. He hasn’t really worked the details out yet, he said he’d be in touch.”

“Wait, so you agreed to it?”

“Well, yeah” Mari tilted her head “owning my own store has been a dream Alya, you know that.”

“Yeah, I know, M… I’m just worried. It sounds a bit too good to be true, you know?” Alya grimaced “I mean he comes back after six years of no contact, acts like a jerk to you when you meet him again and now he’s offering to set you up with your dream shop.”

Putting it that was, Marinette could see why Alya was sceptical. It did sound a bit dubious, but in her gut, she knew Adrien was an honest soul, and it wasn’t like he hadn’t shown her the side of himself that made her certain her old friend was still underneath his hard exterior.

“He wasn’t like that today…” Mari sighed, taking a sip of her drink that had long begun to go cold “he was almost… normal. I mean he was still very professional, I guess I expected that, but it was different this time. He wasn’t cold with me, actually, he was quite friendly. Even when I told him off… again… god, I need to stop doing that!”

Alya wrinkled her nose “if you say so. What did you tell him off for this time then if his attitude had improved?”

“Uh, have you seen the articles being written about him?”

“I saw the old ones after his dad was arrested” Alya frowned.

“There have been new ones, look-“Mari took our her phone, and in a few seconds was showing Alya one of the articles her mother had shown her.

The redhead’s expression darkened “well, of course, I haven’t seen these, they’re just gossip rags. I stick with actual news, thank you. I can’t believe they’re accusing him of the new attacks…” she trailed off thoughtfully “then again, the timing is awfully coincidental…”

“Alya!” Mari exclaimed “you can't really think Adrien would have anything to do with En – uh – these new attacks?” she caught herself before revealing Enenra’s name since no news identifying her had been reported yet it would be incredibly suspicious for her to know it before anyone else. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like Alya picked up on the slip this time.

“Well, if we’re talking about our friend Adrien from six years ago, then I’d say no way… but a lot can change in six years, Mari. I saw the attack yesterday morning, Ladybug was lucky Carapace arrived when he did. I’m just saying, it's not unthinkable that Adrien might hold a grudge…”

Mari stared at her, shocked. Under her stare, Alya shrugged awkwardly, not really wanting to believe in her words herself, despite her theory fitting the scenario, and completely oblivious to the turmoil she’d set off inside her best friend. Because Marinette’s mind – and heart – were racing. What if Adrien did hold a grudge against Ladybug? What if he did have something to do with the new attacks? Was he helping Enenra somehow? Now that Alya had pointed it out, it was odd that the attacks hadn’t started until after he’d returned to the city.

“I don’t believe it” she finally said, her voice hollow even to herself, as she shook her head slowly “I don’t believe Adrien could do anything like that.”

“Six years is a long time” Alya shrugged, but looked uncomfortable “I don’t really want to believe it either, and I’m not saying it's true either. It just… fits.”

Marinette said nothing, lifting her cold drink to her lips and averting her gaze out of the window. The problem was that Alya was right, the timeline did fit and Adrien had reason to hold a grudge against Ladybug. The only part that didn’t fit was that Enenra was female, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be involved somehow, and that wasn’t a thought that sat well with her at all.

“You’re probably right” Alya continued talking, almost blabbering now, twisting the sleeves over her jumper around her hands “I don’t think the Adrien we knew could hurt a fly, but… maybe just keep an eye on him. We don’t know how much the stuff with his dad might have changed him.”

Mari felt herself relaxing a little, watching her best friend who clearly found the theory as discomforting as she did even if Alya was the person to bring it up. But then again, Alya was a reporter at heart, and she barely managed to keep her thoughts to herself when she was faced with a mystery.

Sighing, Mari told her “he was reading one of the magazine articles about him, accusing him of all this, and I told him off for reading it. I don’t know why it's just… we know its bullshit just like last time, don’t we?”

“Of course,” Alya agreed, though her voice still wavered with a hint of uncertainty “it's unfair he has to go through it all again if he is innocent…”

“I thought you were still mad at him?”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m still mad” Alya folded her arms over her chest, tapping a finger on her elbow “but all the crap that was being said about him after his dad was arrested… I wish we could have been there for him.”

“Me too” Mari sighed.

“Hard to be there for someone who doesn’t want you around though.”

Mari had nothing to say to that, because Alya was right. Adrien had run away from them, and every effort they had made to get in contact and offer their support. He pushed them away, and for years Marinette had felt just as angry about that as Alya and Nino – even if it was more likely that the anger was just a cover for her guilt and sadness… it was only recently, seeing Adrien again, that she seemed to be able to let the anger go when she could see the effect it had on him too. She had thought a lot about that talk they had while he walked her home, trying to read into what he had told her that she perhaps hadn’t caught the meaning of at the time.

Slowly, she told Alya what she’d begun to think while going over the conversation. “I… think Adrien believes that we wouldn’t forgive him if he tried to reach out to us.”

Alya blinked, surprised, and then grimaced “well… maybe he’s not wrong. I don’t know. It’s hard, I thought we had moved on but seeing him again just seemed to bring up all that hurt again…”

“I know” Mari agreed.

“But at the same time, I _get_ why he left!” Alya threw up her hands in frustration “so, as I said. I don’t know. It’s complicated.”

Marinette nodded, “I know what you mean… but, he seemed pretty convinced he should stay away from us.”

“He shouldn’t have to go through all this on his own again though,” Alya’s quiet voice surprised her, and Marinette looked up to find the redhead chewing on her lip and staring hard into her mug.

“I’m not saying he will but…” Marinette said slowly, testing the waters “but if Adrien ever did try and reach out…”

Alya stared at her, thinking, and sat back in her seat “I’ll think about it. I’d have to talk to Nino about it as well.”

Nodding, Marinette couldn’t help but remember Adrien’s assumption that she was probably the most likely of all their friends to forgive him. Perhaps he was right, but she hoped that one day maybe they could prove him wrong.

“Hey” Alya nudged her from across the table “let’s forget about Adrien. Why don’t we go and get a head start on our Christmas shopping since we both have the afternoon off? Unless you’ve already got a secret chest full of gifts…”

“Shut up” Mari snickered, though glad of the distraction from both Adrien and the conversation with Master Fu, “come on, let’s go shopping. I feel like retail therapy is needed.”

It was evening by the time Marinette and Alya parted ways, both holding a few shopping bags full of Christmas gifts they had found for their friends and family – both of them trying to not so obviously hide the gift they’d managed to find for each other – and Mari felt pleasantly exhausted. For a few hours, she’d been distracted by the happy lights and Christmas decoration, though the snow the sky seemed to promise never did arrive.

It wasn’t until she came back home, flopping wearily on her couch and letting the bags fall from her arms to the floor, that she was reminded of what she had tried to distract herself from for a few hours.

“Tikki” she called out to her kwami, who had left the confines of her purse when she got home and flown into the kitchen where she knew the cookie jar was.

“Marinette?” she zipped back into the room, holding half a cookie that was still twice the size of her little body.

“I need to warn the others about Enenra,” she told Tikki, who paused in chewing her bite of cookie and nodded. Marinette waited until she finished the whole cookie, and then transformed into Ladybug so she could send a message to Rena and Carapace about meeting on the Eiffel tower as soon as possible. She tapped out the message on her yoyo, and then hesitated. If she sent the message to Chat Noir would he show up? In the last few years, she had on occasion sent him messages, but he’d ignored them all.

She wasn’t certain, what he had said about helping while he was still in the city made her wonder if he meant he would only come help when there was an attack. Would he be willing to re-join the team, even if it was only temporarily?

Sighing, she shoved her doubts aside and sent the message to him anyway. If Chat Noir didn’t show up to the meeting she called then that was his decision, he didn’t know she had information about Enenra, and it would be on his own head if he didn’t come and ended up going into the next fight blinder than the rest of them. It wouldn’t stop her worrying about him, but if he didn’t come she’d find another way to warn him that Enenra’s target was the miraculous.


	10. Chapter Ten

Adrien scowled at the folder in his hands before he discarded it beside him on the couch and ran a hand through his hair, groaning. He was trying to work on the proposal he’d spoken to Marinette about, having already put it forward for some of the higher-ups in his company to go over as well before he met her, and it turned out there was quite a bit of work to be done.

Formally drafting contracts, working out a safety net in case it failed, not to mention finding actual premises for these proposed stores for the designers…

At least no one had outright laughed at his idea or called it too ambitious. He was actually getting a lot of support from his other executives within the company as well as from those overseas, though they had focused the project on Paris only for now. Depending on how successful it was here, they may branch it out to Milan and China where the other larger Agreste Fashion bases where. There was some hope that the project would help bring back some of the company’s former glory, that had been lost when Gabriel was arrested. The company still did well for itself, but it wasn’t nearly as popular as it once was, never quite making as much yearly since the arrest of its founder.

Adrien didn’t care much about how much money his company made. If it wasn’t for the fact thousands of innocent people would lose their jobs, he’d have let his father’s company die with his legacy, taking over Gabriel’s fashion had never been Adrien’s dream after all. It was part of why he donated as much as he could to the charities, especially ones that were set up for victims of Hawkmoth. Even though, legally, it was his company now Adrien felt as though the company had always – and would always – belong to his father, so it gave him a moderate amount of satisfaction to donate as much as he could of it to the people Hawkmoth had hurt.

Yet, the thirteen-year-old boy in him couldn’t help but wonder if his father would be proud of what he’d done for the company. It would have been so, so easy for it to crumble to ruin, Adrien had worked hard to keep it from doing so.

That was part of why he had wanted Marinette to help him, and be the first person to participate, in his new project. She had been class president, responsible for a number of events inside and outside of school with all their friends, and from what he’d occasionally glimpsed had a somewhat naturally good eye for business that was probably learned from her parent's bakery. All that, in addition to her being a fantastically talented designer, made him confident that he’d made the right choice.

He’d been nervous when he called her asking to meet, and even more so that morning before she arrived. She could have told him his idea was stupid, the idea of her rejecting it had actually kept him from falling asleep the night before, though he didn’t really understand why until she’d walked through his door that morning and his eyes had fallen on her.

When he was a teenager, Adrien was many things. Naïve, shy, polite where all words he’d heard his classmates use to describe himself, but he was never blind. True, he’d been somewhat oblivious to Marinette’s crush on him when they were in school – he’d believed she disliked him, it never occurred to him that it was the very opposite causing her to act strangely. He’d turned her down because he was in love with Ladybug, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t ever noticed her. He was a teenage boy after all, and Marinette was not only attractive but honest, sweet and caring. He didn’t know a boy in their class that hadn’t taken notice of her, and he should know having been privy to more than a few locker room conversations. Once they had become much better friends, after getting over the initial awkwardness turning down her feelings had caused, he’d actually found himself a little jealous when the other boys would talk about her though, at the time he refused to acknowledge it as jealousy, it was just being protective of his friend. It took years for him to acknowledge that even while he was head-over-heels in love for Ladybug, he’d at some point begun developing a crush on Marinette too. Not that it had mattered much, by the time he realised he’d left the city and lost his chance with both women anyway.

Now he was back, and this time it was Marinette that had made his heart race.

She’d looked stunning when he saw her earlier, enough that he’d rather embarrassingly forgotten what he was saying. He couldn’t remember ever seeing her dark hair down out of its usual pigtails when they were teenagers, or at least never more than a few times. She wore it longer now, and it suited her, framing her heart-shaped face elegantly. He assumed the dress she wore was one of her own designs, he’d recognised the pattern of her signature even if it was upside down so he couldn’t actually read her name sewn in black thread on a cream coloured bar patterning the skirt. It suited her, and only served to highlight to the teen boy still lurking inside him just how much she had grown since he’d last seen her, highlighting the curves of her body and drawing his attention to the healthy expanse of her lean leg’s exposed between the skirt and knee-high boots.

As always though, it was her eyes that he felt himself drawn too, and she’d highlighted them with dark makeup that only made the bluebell shade so much brighter. He’d always secretly loved her eyes, because Marinette was so expressive, but it was in her eyes where you could see how she really felt. How they hardened when she was angry, of sparkled when she laughed or lit with fire when she was angry. He remembered the first time he saw that fire, when she had thought he’d stuck the gum on her seat, even back then as much as it had startled him he couldn’t help be just a little intrigued.

He’d seen a glimpse of that fire again today when she’d spotted that magazine on his desk. One of his other employees had brought him the magazine, to make him aware of what the press was printing about him, but he’d hung onto it more as a… reminder. He’d hoped it would remind him just why it was a good idea to keep Marinette at arm’s length during their meeting. He didn’t want to be tempted (or any more tempted than he already was) to get any closer to her. He’d asked her there for professional reasons, not for the friendship they once had, and a business relationship was all they could have. He didn’t want his mess of a life tainting hers.

That was all thrown out of the window when she spotted that damn magazine and told him what she thought. She spoke so passionately, so honestly, like she had so many times in school and yet this time… this time it was about him, to his face, knocking straight through his carefully constructed walls to keep her away from him. In short, she’d left him breathless.

This is what was frustrating him while he looked over the documents he’d already compiled for the project. He’d invited her to work with him certain he could keep himself, and any feelings he had, under check. Now he wasn’t so sure.

Getting up from his couch with a huff, Adrien made his way to the kitchen of his penthouse, passing by Plagg who was passed out and snoring in an empty box of camembert. Once there he sought out a bottle of his favourite whisky and poured himself a glass, taking a sip.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t had relationships since he’d left Paris. Though, they had been few and far between and mostly fleeting. He hated to admit but sometimes his relationships had fizzled out once they found out who his father was. Then there where the few women who had been with him only for his money, though he could usually spot women with intentions like that fairly quickly and they never had more than a few dates. When he returned to Paris he was sure his feelings for both Marinette and Ladybug had long since faded away… but perhaps he was wrong.

Although, Ladybug seemed to be a different matter. When he’d seen her again he’d almost been afraid that his feelings would come crashing back, and yet… they didn’t. Or at least, not as intensely as he feared they might. Granted that might have been because it seemed to be much easier to keep Ladybug at arm’s length than it was Marinette. Ladybug didn’t know why Chat Noir had left the city, she didn’t know who he was, who his father was, and he was certain that if she did she’d hate him which was more than enough incentive for him to keep her away. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about her anymore, though he kind of regretted how harsh he’d been with her, because he still loved her… he just wasn’t sure he was _in love_ with her anymore. Or at least, not as deeply as he was six years ago.

Marinette on the other hand… she knew why he’d left, and she’d been angry with him at first like he expected, but then she surprised him by offering him that olive branch when she’d given him her card.

He took another sip of his drink, leaning on the kitchen counter as he held his head. Thinking about the two women who split his heart for so long seemed to be giving him a headache.

“You know, drinking after work every night isn’t a healthy way to destress” Adrien jump as Plagg’s voice echoed in the empty kitchen, finding the kwami watching him from a shelf with a smug look “you know what is a healthy way to destress?”

“Don’t you dare say-“

“- cheese.”

Adrien gave the tiny cheese-addicted god a flat look. “How can you possibly want more cheese? You’ve eaten two whole wheels today!”

“I can never have too much cheese” Plagg responded passionately, before adding “and actually, I was rudely woken from my nap because you have a message from Ladybug. I figured that since you agreed to help her you might actually read this one.”

Adrien raised his eyebrows, surprised, wondering what she could want.

“Just read it!” Plagg rolled his eyes when he saw Adrien’s expression, knowing him well enough that he knew what he was thinking.

“Alright, don’t get bossy or we’ll have to start limiting all that cheese you're getting fat on.”

“You wouldn’t dare-!”

“Claws out!”

****

Ladybug stood on the very edge of the highest platform of the Eiffel tower, her toes hanging off the edge, all it would take to unsteady her was a strong breeze. She couldn’t help but feel a little thrill, looking down at the city of lights, feeling the December winds curling around her lazily, just waiting to see if one strong enough to knock her off would come…

She heard footsteps land on the platform behind her but didn’t move away from the edge.

“Ladybug?”

She looked over her shoulder with a small smile, meeting Chat Noir’s gaze – though she was surprised to find he was looking rather concerned, eyes flicking from her to the floor where only half of her feet where keeping her on the tower. Realising this, she took two steps back so her feet where planted firmly on solid metal. “Chat” she greeted him, the smile never wavering “I’m glad you got my message.”

One of his large triangular ears flicked, and he nodded, giving her a troubled look. He wasn’t sure if she was referring to the fact he’d ignored her previous messages over the year, because she sounded sincere, and he was still somewhat troubled by how he’d found her standing on the tower playing a game of risk with gravity. Sure, it wasn’t too much of big deal if one of them fell, they could easily save themselves with their yoyo or baton, but in the past, it was he who had taken playful risks like that, not her.

Ladybug sat down and, after a few moments, Chat joined her. Together they stared out over the city, throwing the occasional glance at one another, but neither seeming to catch the other’s gaze. In the silence, Chat took his time to really consider her again.

Ladybug had grown up too, a fact only accented by her skin-tight suit that seemed to draw his eye to all the places he was trying not to look. He couldn’t imagine how any man wouldn’t want to look. He missed the pigtails look, but had had to admit she looked elegant with her hair up in a bun, he assumed it meant she’d let her hair grow longer while he was gone.

He was still attracted to her, physically at least, a fact he came to very easily. But checking with himself internally, he didn’t have the same overwhelming feelings he had years ago. His heart was pounding, but it wasn’t racing as it once would in her presence, and he didn’t feel his stomach doing flip flops when he finally glanced over and happened to meet her gaze, realising she’d been watching him.

“I-uh… I just wanted to say, Chat… I really am glad your back” Ladybug laughed awkwardly “I don’t think I got the chance to tell you that the other day… and I know you said you're not staying, but I thought you would like to know I did miss you. And I should apologise for pushing for a reason why you left, it wasn’t my business.”

Chat blinked, then chuckled “I… thank you, Ladybug. And I should apologise for snapping at you when you asked. Though I had to say, I thought you’d be more upset with me.”

She wrinkled her nose “I was upset… but I don’t really know what’s happening in your life Chat. I think I forget that sometimes, that we both have lives outside of the masks. Besides, I have a friend in a… a similar position, I guess. I’ve been trying to think of things from their point of view, since I know why he left, to try understanding how he feels outside of my own feelings. I’m trying to do that for you too.”

“Oh” it was all Chat could think to say, surprised by her answer. He wondered who her friend was, and what their situation was for her to try so hard to understand.

“Besides” she shrugged “we all grow up, we’ve both changed over the years… I just hope the years have been good to you Chat.”

Before he could reply – and thankfully, because he wasn’t really sure what to say to her – they heard more footsteps behind them and turned, finding Rena Rogue and Carapace had both arrived. The turtle hero nodded at them in greeting, looking mildly nervous when the fox hero beside him folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.

“Well, well, look what the cat dragged in. Wasn’t sure if you’d turn up or not.”

“I was in the area” Chat shrugged, meeting her gaze with narrowed eyes. He could understand her being a little annoyed with him, but this was a reaction he’d expected off Ladybug, not Rena.

“Maybe we should get him microchipped” Rena raised an eyebrow “then next time he goes wandering someone can let us know, instead of finding out he’s been spotted in Greece or Milan from the damn newspapers.”

Cat felt his ears lay back, his tail slashing. “Microchip, really? You’re really thinking out-of-the- _fox_ for that one.”

Rena Rogues expression turned sour at the pun, and she opened her mouth to say something else.

“Let’s not argue” Ladybug stood up, standing between the black and orange heroes with her hands on her hips, looking ticked. “Chat left, now he’s back, and we’ve got bigger issues.”

Chat and Rena locked eyes, staring in challenge before the fox looked away with a huff. Ladybug was right, though when she looked at Carapace the turtle raised his eyebrows and waved his hands in front of him a little, clearly saying ‘I’m-not-getting-involved’.

“So, what’s up LB?” the turtle asked, to escape the glare Rena shot him.

Ladybug sighed. Leaning on one of the metal beams of the tower as she began “Master Fu has been in touch, he had some information about the attacks.”

“Master Fu is back?” Chat’s ears perked up.

“He was…” Ladybug nodded “but I think he’s gone again. he said he’d have to take the rest of the miraculous into hiding until it was safe again.”

“Oh,” Chat grimaced. He had really wanted to talk to the guardian himself, but as usual, he seemed to prefer going to Ladybug over him.

“What do you mean ‘until it's safe again’?” Rena asked.

“Apparently that’s what she wants. Enenra, the one we saw during the last battle…” Ladybug rubbed her chest, feeling an echo of the pain she’d felt when she was gasping for breath while Enenra watched, smiling. “She’s the holder of the scorpion miraculous, and can use her venom to possess pretty much anyone in the city and turn their repressed emotions into shadow Yokai.”

“Yeah, did Master Fu have any advice on how to fight those when we keep going through them?”

“He didn’t say anything about it” Ladybug shook her head “he was more focused on warning us…”

“Warning us?” Carapace asked warily.

“Enenra wants revenge, he didn’t say why but apparently something happened and now she wants to take all of the miraculous for herself. He said she’s done it before… that’s why he’s gone into hiding to keep the miraculous box safe.”

Silence fell on the little group for a moment, all of them weighing up what Ladybug had said.

“Well, it's not _that_ much different from Hawkmoth” Rena tried to sound encouraging, no one noticing the way Chat stiffened at the mention of their old enemy.

“Yeah, but Hawkmoth didn’t have much success with that, and from what Master Fu was saying Enenra has. She’s been doing this for years.”

“Plus, Hawkmoth never outright tried to _kill_ one of you” Carapace added, giving Ladybug a pointed look “he put everyone in danger, but he never just tried to straight-up murder you.”

Ladybug stood up straighter, so she wasn’t leaning on the metal behind her anymore and looked at each of them as she spoke “true, Enenra has already given us a taste of her intentions. But look at what we’ve accomplished before, we took down Hawkmoth when he was at the height of his power. Master Fu told me that he could have taken all of our miraculous and run, keeping them all safe from Enenra, but he didn’t. because he believes we can do this, that we can stop her when other miraculous holders failed.”

“Well, we are pretty awesome” Rena smirked.

“Dream team, dudes” Carapace laughed.

Chat didn’t say anything, only nodded when he was supposed to as the other three began talking about increasing their patrols and included him in that pattern when he agreed. There wasn’t much to pay attention to, as they settled on using the same pattern they had used six years ago when he was still around. He noticed the occasional irritated looks thrown at him by Rena – she had obviously taken his abandoning the team more personally than even Ladybug, though he couldn’t figure out why. He kept his attention focused on Ladybug though.

Even after all these years, he could tell she was more afraid than she was letting the other two see. He could see it in the tense way she held herself, the way she kept wringing her hands together, but most of all in her bluebell eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter to catch up on what's going on in Adrien's head. 
> 
> Why's Rena being so pissy with Chat?? Ahhh, all will be explained. Trust me.


	11. Chapter Eleven

A week passed since Master Fu wanted the hero's that Enenra was targeting all of their miraculous, and in that time she attacked the city twice more in an attempt to draw them out. They had developed a strategy that Marinette frankly wasn't thrilled with – since the Yokai seemed to focus on one particular holder at a time, attempting to pin that hero down probably so Enenra could take the miraculous, and Ladybug was the only one who could purify the victims it became a game of cat-and-mouse like distraction. 

The first attack was on Tuesday afternoon, and toe Yokai targeted Carapace. The turtle took it in stride, calling out insults to keep its attention on him, while Rena backed him up by creating identical illusions of him to confuse it. While they were doing this, Chat and Ladybug made a plan to extract the victim and purify them. That battle lasted half an hour and had the least amount of damage in comparison with the first two. 

The second attack was on Friday night, which Rena Rogue grouched about very loudly since it was her 'date night' apparently. Chat was the target in that attack, he'd tried drawing the Yokai away from the inner city by fleeing for the Seine where the streets were a bit wider, before using one of Carapaces shields to go out over the water in an effort to draw the Yokai far from any civilians. It didn't quite work, the shadowy monster wouldn't follow him out over the water, and tried turning its attention to Rena instead when it couldn't reach Chat suspended over the water. It might have caught Rena if Ladybug hadn't been following them in the perfect position to rescue the victim and purify them. Unfortunately for Chat, Carapaces shield had disappeared before he made it back to shore and they had to fish him out of the river. 

Despite the relative ease they had while working as a team, the relationship between them all was beginning to suffer slightly. Ladybug wished Chat would explain to her why he left, but it was his choice if he wanted to tell her. As much as it hurt to think he didn't trust her enough she knew it probably had something to do with his life under the mask and knew it was right he didn't tell her. Rena was still angry with Chat for leaving and clearly wasn't afraid to let him know, either telling him so to his face or finding indirect ways to show her irritation with him. Chat refused to let the fox hero's attitude go unchecked, and retaliated to her jabs at him in kind. Carapace usually ended up being the one to try and calm them all down, though they could tell even he was beginning to get irritated with the constant bickering. 

Ladybug wanted to try and fix the damage before it became too much for them to withstand, but she was at a loss as to how. Chat had apologized, but it didn't make the hurt disappear any more than glue could fix the crack in a broken mirror. Instead, she tried to focus on their battles and a better plan about what to do to stop Enenra for good. Despite the two attacks she'd not seen the scorpion miraculous holder at either scene. As much as it relieved her at the time not to be fighting Enenra and her Yokai at the same time, Ladybug couldn't help but be concerned by her absence. 

She'd thought about it a lot, usually when she was unable to sleep giving her a lot of restless nights and had figured the first Yokai attack when she had battled it alone was probably some kind of test. Enenra wanted to know how they would handle her Yokai, to get an idea of what she was up against. Of course, only Ladybug had turned up to the first fight, which was probably why Enenra hadn't expected the other heroes to turn up to the second fight. Now that she wasn't appearing at the latest attacks, where those just tests too? Was that why her Yokai were focusing on individual heroes at a time, to gauge their abilities and weaknesses? What was Enenra learning about them from these fights, while keeping herself a mystery? 

It wasn't the only thing to keep her awake at night, Marinette found that she quite suddenly had a lot to think about and her brain seemed to have decided it was best to keep her awake to do that. With Christmas barely more than a week away, she'd been swamped with sudden orders on her website, last-minute gifts people were purchasing for loved ones she guessed. Likewise, Nino had been DJ'ing at parties nearly every night of December as people got into the festive attitude, as well as preparing for the opening of a new nightclub where he was going to be employed permanently on New Year's Eve. Alya was also kept busy writing for the newspaper, covering not only the new Yokai attacks (which she also wrote about on the Ladyblog, which was experiencing a resurgence in popularity) but on general news and stories about the festive events around the city. Because of their busy schedule, Mari hadn't actually seen her friends for more than a few minutes over the week, though when she did they looked as exhausted as she felt, but they had arranged a get-together with their old classmates that she was looking forward to – hoping it would take her mind off everything that was going on. 

Marinette hadn't heard from Adrien about his proposal either, despite him promising to get in contact with her regarding some of the details, so she assumed that he too had gotten busy over the Christmas period. Her assumption, as well as her own packed schedule, was part of the reason why she hadn't reached out to him about it – the other part had more to do with advice Tikki had given her. Adrien had been apart from them for a long time, and he didn't seem to think he'd be welcome in their lives again, as much as Mari wanted to reach out and reassure him they were still friends no matter their mistakes, Tikki advised on letting him make the first moves. Her kwami had likened him to a scared cat, warning Mari that if she moved too fast he'd probably run away from her. Trying to take Tikki's advice, Marinette made an effort to push aside any worry about his lack of contact, which only left room for everything else that was bothering her and severely interrupted her sleep schedule. 

It was why Tikki found her holder rousing her from sleep before dawn that morning with the intention of going for a run. It was the early hours, and due to winter, it was still quite dark outside with the world still lit by streetlights that made the frosted floors glitter. Tikki wasn't thrilled Mari wanted to go for a run, though understood when she saw the bags under Marinette's eyes and knew she'd probably had another night of tossing and turning without much sleep. Running helped Mari settle herself, so she didn't complain too much as she snuggled into the pocket of Marinette's thin sweatshirt. 

Marinette hated the cold with a passion, much like Tikki herself, but even in December, she chose to run in a thin sweatshirt and leggings that clung to her like a second skin. The clothing was tight, and though it was designed to be thermal it didn't do much to save her from the sting of the mid-winter breeze that was blowing that morning, but it did help her feel less hot and sweaty. It was almost like wearing the Ladybug suit in some ways, and she found it far more comfortable than anything else she'd tried exercising in. Besides, if she focused on running it was easy to ignore the biting chill creeping into her nose and fingers. 

She used her usual route, away from her home and past her bakery (closed, but she could see a glow of light from the back room where she knew her parents were getting ready to start the day), up to where Master Fu lived (she half hoped to see him puttering around his little shop, but sadly he had done as he'd told her would have gone into hiding), before a long stretch by the river Seine where her gaze stretched across the river's calming mist-covered surface that began to gleam with the first specks of dawn breaking. It was a beautiful sight, and she found herself mesmerised, wondering if she could incorporate the sight into a design…

"Marinette!" 

The call of her name startled her badly, her head snapping around to face who had called just as she tried to stop running, slipping on the frosted floor. The next thing Marinette knew she was lying on the cold ground, pain in her hands and knees where she'd braced herself from the fall. 

"Crap, Marinette, are you alright?" strong arms reached under her shoulders, helping her get back up and onto the wooden bench a few steps behind her. 

"Y-yeah" she stuttered out, a bit bewildered as she met worried green eyes. Despite her knees and hands throbbing from her fall, and her cheeks burning with the embarrassment, she couldn't help but laugh a little "Adrien, we have got to stop meeting like this." 

The ex-model chuckled, running a hand through his already messy blonde hair. It didn't look like he'd brushed it at all yet that morning, though when she looked at the rest of him and noticed his tracksuit bottoms and matching thick jumper, headphones abandoned around his neck, she guessed he'd also been running so that might explain the state of his hair and the flush on his cheeks. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you so badly…" he stood in front of her, effectively blocking her from standing up off the bench he'd seated her on, and gave her a once over, wincing when he saw the thin fabric of her leggings had torn and the flesh underneath was scraped and bloody. "Your knee…" he muttered, kneeling in front of her. 

Before she could react Adrien had his hand around her calf, straightening her leg out in a firm yet gentle grip, while he carefully lifted the torn fabric around her knee to assess the damage. It was funny because the cut hadn't hurt at all until he moved the fabric, sending stinging pain through her leg and making it jerk in reflex. She hissed and then felt her cheeks burning again when he hushed her soothingly, rubbing gentle circles into the flesh of her calf while he held her still. It still hurt, yet the only sensation her brain seemed to be registering was his warm hand on her leg…

Adrien was oblivious to Marinette's blushing, inspecting her knee closely and pulling a tissue from his pocket to wipe away the blood beginning to roll in a little bead across her pale skin. Once he was satisfied it wasn't going to bleed again he sighed, letting go of her leg and standing up. 

"Thank you" she mumbled, looking up at him through her lashes. 

Adrien smiled down at her, tutting playfully "always so clumsy."

" _ Clumsy _ ?!" Mari's head snapped up, relaxing again when she saw the mischievous twinkle in his eye "excuse me, but who scared me and made me fall over in the first place?" 

"Hmm, I don't know, must have been the phantom mystery yeller." 

"Phantom mystery yeller?" 

"Yes, didn't you hear? He goes around yelling names to scare people so they blame it on innocent bystanders who come over to help." 

He was staring at her so innocently that Marinette couldn't think of an answer, and burst out laughing. He tried asking her why she was laughing, but she could hear the strain in his voice as he tried to fight the giggles himself. 

"You are completely mad, Agreste" Mari finally managed to say, her laughter subsiding. 

"So it's been claimed" he shrugged, offering her hand to help her stand up from the bench. 

"What are you doing out here?" Mari shook her head, accepting his help to stand up, before wrapping her arms around herself. Now that she wasn't running, she'd begun to cool down, the cold creeping up her body. 

"I like to run before I need to go into the office on a morning, and I find the river peaceful" he shrugged, before pinning her with a playful glare "besides, this is a far more acceptable time to go for a run, don't you think?" 

She knew he was referring to last time they had run into one another when she had been jogging this route at night. Now that she thought about it, they were in almost the exact same spot as then. Shrugging off the de-ja-vu, she pointed out "I thought you had a problem with the fact I was running in the dark, and if you look around, it's still dark?" 

"It is" he conceded "but it's getting lighter. You’re right though, any weirdos running through the city wanting to prey on vulnerable joggers wearing pink probably wouldn't be deterred by a little sunlight." 

"Unless they happen to be vampires" she mused out loud. 

"Vampires?" he laughed.

She raised an eyebrow "we live in a city that gets attacked by magical monsters more frequently than anyone would care to think about, with animal-themed superheroes who use yoyo's and flutes to fight said magical monsters, but  _ vampires _ are unbelievable?"

Adrien felt his eyes widen "I hadn't thought about it like that." 

Mari snickered "I'm not saying I do believe in them… I'm just saying I might not be surprised if they did. I wouldn't worry about me getting attacked by vampires on my morning jog too much." 

"What about regular human monsters?" he asked in a darker voice this time, his expression suddenly very serious. Still, Marinette wanted to tell him she'd be fine, she had Tikki after all, and all these years being Ladybug hadn't left her defenseless out of her suit either. She couldn't though, out of her mask she was supposed to be a normal girl, so she just shrugged, watching as he huffed and ran a hand through his hair again, green eyes fixing on her injured knee before drawing them back up to her face. "Your lack of concern about your own safety worries me. Fine, I'm walking you home again." 

"You don't have to do that. And I do worry about my safety. I'm not defenseless!" 

"You are injured though" he pointed at her knee "so you can either accept me walking with you, or I can 'stalk' you, as you so-called it last time, and if I remember rightly you didn't seem too thrilled with that method." 

Adrien met her stubborn glare with his own, trying to fight the smirk when she was the first to relent and looked away with a sigh that fogged the air in front of her face. "Fine, you can walk with me…" 

"Wonderful" he tried not to sound to glad about it, but from the look, she sent his way as they began walking he knew he failed. After a few steps in silence, Adrien feeling hyper-aware of her beside him in case her grazed knee caused her any pain, he finally spoke again. "I'm sorry I haven't been in touch about the project this week. Honestly, it's taking much longer to plan out that I originally thought it might. Besides that, there's been a lot of last-minute work to go into the spring line if we want it announced after New Year..."

"It's fine" she reassured him, "I thought it might be something like that. You're not the only one swamped with work before the holidays start – my website's gone crazy with last-minute orders! Though, if you really want my help with it, you could send over whatever ideas you've got and I can try help. I might have some ideas of my own." 

"I wouldn't expect anything less of the class president" he teased her slightly, bumping her shoulder with his, pleased when she giggled "I might send you what I have so far, see what you think. You're going to be the first person to try pull it off after all." 

"Try? Excuse me, there will be no ' _ try _ ' about it. I will do it" she scoffed, though there was a tremor under her voice that screamed her nervousness about the project to the world, despite her bravado.

Adrien glanced at her, hearing the tremor in her voice as something else, and stopped walking when he saw her with her arms wrapped around herself and a visible shiver to her shoulders and lips. "Marinette, your freezing!" 

"It's December Adrien. It’s cold." 

"And you're not wearing anything!" 

Mari stopped walking a few steps ahead of him, raising an eyebrow and looking down at herself. "Nope, clothes. For a second there you made me think I'd walked out of the house naked this morning." 

Adrien felt his face heat up, trying his best to push that image from his head when it popped up, but he didn't look away when she met his eyes. "I-I didn't mean-! You  _ know  _ what I meant! You're not dressed for the cold!" 

"I get too hot when I run" Mari shrugged, turning away to carry on walking "come on, sooner we get to my apartment the sooner I can warm up aga-!"

She was cut off when something heavy and warm was pulled over her head, rendering her word dark for a few minutes, until her head resurfaced and met the fresh cold air again, though her arms remained pinned lightly against her chest. Confused and frowning, she looked down and found herself drowned in an overly large grey sweatshirt. 

Looking behind her she found Adrien was now only wearing sweatpants and a black t-shirt, looking rather pleased with himself. "It's a bit big, but it should keep you warm. You can put your arms through the sleeves you know?" 

Mari blinked stupidly for a few minutes, her brain only able to register the fact she could smell him on his sweatshirt and had to resist the creepy urge to lift the fabric to her face and take a breath. When she finally found her words again, she stuttered, and had to clear her throat before anything eligible came out "b-but, I ca-can't! Adrien! Now you'll be cold!" 

"Rather me than you" he shrugged "think about it if you get sick who's going to fulfil all those orders from your website before Christmas? At least if I get sick there are a few people I can delegate my responsibilities too." 

Marinette still scowled at him but resigned herself to putting her arms through the sleeves of his jumper and trying not to feel too pleased about how warm it was. He was right, in a way, but her biggest concern wasn't working on her designs – rather it was on how getting sick right now might hinder her as Ladybug if Enenra attacked again. 

"…thank you."

Adrien grinned, looking very much like the cat who caught the canary, and they began walking again, this time talking about the upcoming spring line that Adrien's company was working on. They arrived at Marinette's apartment in a few minutes, lingering on the doorstep. 

"Would you like to come in and get warmed up?" Marinette asked, noticing how he had begun rubbing his hands together from the cold in the last few minutes of their walk. 

"Oh, no it's okay…" he looked away "I'll just call a taxi to get home, or I'll be late…" 

"Well, at least come inside to wait. It's freezing out here, and you're getting cold" she looked pointedly at his fidgeting hands, which he tried to hide behind his back. "I promise I won't bite." 

"Well, if you promise" he teased, following her nervously through the front door of the building and up the stairs to her apartment. Even with every step, he felt torn, wanting to follow her and enjoying her company, while the other part reminded him he should be keeping his distance, though that voice was getting weaker. 

He didn't get much time to dwell of the two feelings, because he was soon ushered into her apartment and standing in her sitting room while she told him she'd make hot chocolate and disappeared to her kitchen, leaving him alone. 

He looked around, not sure what he'd expected of her apartment, but it was considerably less pink that he'd remembered her bedroom in the bakery being. Though he noticed she still favored warmer colors, spotting various shades of red throughout the space. As he was looking around he couldn't help his eye is drawn to the far wall, where she had hung up a lot of photographs, something he could remember from the few times he'd seen her bedroom when they were teens and found himself walking over to inspect the pictures like his feet where possessed. 

The photographs had obviously been taken throughout the years, as it was easy to see the way Marinette and her friends had grown thought the years by looking at them. Though not much had changed with most people. There where group photos of Marinette with Juleka, Rose and Alya. Some of Alya and Nino. One was of their entire class in the crowd at a concert, and when he peered closer he realized it was Luka on the stage. There as even a photo of Marinette and her parents in the bakery, all of them covered in flour as they laughed apparently oblivious to the camera.

Adrien didn't realize he had been grinning as he looked over the pictures until he saw one that made his smile drop in surprise. He hadn't expected to find himself on her wall of photographs, but there he was. He even remembered it. He'd snuck out of his father's home to go to the fair with Mari, Nino and Alya after he'd been forbidden to leave the house. His father had become even more ridged with his rules as Adrien got older, at that point he hadn't seen his friends outside of school time for weeks, and he'd rebelled thinking it would be worth the consequences. Plus, Plagg may have encouraged him a bit. He'd loved the fair, please when Marinette would go on all the rides with him after Nino started to feel sick from eating too many sugared doughnuts. It was towards the end of the afternoon that Alya had snapped the picture of him and Marinette, holding pink and blue cotton candy out for each other to try. He could still taste the sweet soft candy melting on his tongue, and hear the excited screams of the fair, as he recalled the afternoon. It wasn't hard to remember it, it was the last time he'd seen his friends. His father had grounded him that night for defying him, barring him from seeing his friends. Four days later he was unmasked as Hawkmoth, arrested, and Adrien left the city.

"Here," he was startled when Marinette spoke beside him, handing him a hot mug of hot chocolate. 

"I, uh, thank you" he lifted the mug to his lips, burning his tongue which seemed to amuse her "sorry, I was just looking at your pictures…" 

"Yeah" she tilted her head, and he got the distinct impression she was trying not to laugh "I saw. I like to put up my favorites, that way I always smile when I see them and remember…" 

"That's nice" he blew on his mug to try and cool it down, trying not to burn his mouth again and nodded to a photograph in front of them of Nino and Alya "I like that one. I'm glad they're still together." 

"Yeah, me too. As much as it's a bit tiring to be the third wheel most of the time" she laughed "I'm surprised they haven't popped the question yet, they're always joking about getting married, but I guess they're happy as they are right now." 

"Aren't you seeing anyone then?" he blurted, and then wished the ground would swallow him whole. Was it just him, or had he sounded hopeful? He felt his cheeks getting warm again, and tried to hide it by taking a deep drink from his mug (still burning his mouth). 

"No" she shook her head, shrugging "not for lack of trying. I've dated… but nothing sticks." 

"Oh?" he asked curiously, trying to ignore the way relief had swept over him at her negative answer. 

Marinette looked into her mug "yeah, I guess I'm just… waiting for that spark. That person that just feels right, but honestly I'm starting to think I missed my chance…" 

"Missed your chance?" 

"Yeah" she still didn't look up, though she wondered why she was telling him all this. She hadn't even confided this much in Alya about her love life (or lack thereof), but it felt easy to talk to Adrien and the words just kept falling from her mouth. "I used to know this guy… he was my best friend, I trusted him with everything and anything and… he had feelings for me, but I didn't feel the same way. Eventually we… we lost touch. I thought about him a lot over the years and I can't help but wonder what if I had given him a chance? What if our friendship was supposed to be more than that? We got back in touch recently but, he's changed. I don't think he feels the same way anymore, but we're still friends. I still wonder what if, but I'm happy with just having him in my life." 

Adrien stared at her. The story had made his heart sink, and yet she sounded so upbeat. He couldn't think of anything comforting to say, or in fact, anything at all to say, so he stayed quiet and was surprised when she looked up at him and asked lightly "so, what about you? Any wild romances while you were travelling?" 

The question made him snort "not hardly… I suppose I'm in a similar position. I've dated, had a few girlfriends here or there, but nothing lasted. Aside from just not feeling right, well, turns out when they find out your father is the supervillain equivalent of a terrorist they aren't very interested in you anymore. And the ones who tend to be more interested in your status and money. I decided after a few bad relationships to steer clear until I found someone genuine. There used to be a girl I loved but…" 

Marinette thought about Nino teasing him about his crush on Ladybug, but decided not to mention it, considering she'd put his father in prison. Instead, she focused on what he'd said about his past relationships. "I'm sorry your relationships have been lousy."

Adrien laughed "lousy is a good word for it. No need to apologize, it would probably be ten times worse if my father had never been arrested anyway. Besides, I'd rather go through a few lousy relationships if it means finding the right one." 

"Even so" Mari grumbled "you don't deserve  _ not _ to be loved because of your father, or to only be loved for your money… you're a good person Adrien, and you deserve to be loved for who you are." 

Adrien gaped at her, unable to find his words for a moment, feeling as though his entire face was on fire. "I… thank you, Mari. And… you deserve it too. To be loved I mean. You're amazing. Anyone would be lucky to have you, and if this friend of yours can't see that anymore then he's a fool." 

"Oh, he's pretty foolish alright" she laughed, surprising him, though he didn't really know who she was talking about so he couldn't laugh too. Maybe he was Nathaniel? Though he'd heard through the grapevine that he was with Chloe now – something he couldn't really wrap his mind around since the red-head had always seemed too quiet and Chloe was… not. Marinette seemed to realize this and sobered her laughter quickly, clearing her throat "so, what are your plans for the day Mr Agreste?" 

"Oh not much, just work." 

"Seems like you're always working. Do you never have any time for fun anymore?" 

"Well, I'm not overly fond of going to these 'fun' places alone and I don't have a lot of contacts in the city anymore for social engagements…" 

He caught a fleeting look of hurt pass over her face before it was replaced with a scowl "I think you'd be surprised just how many friends you still have here Adrien." 

"You think?" he didn't sound like he believed her. 

"Maybe you should try reaching out sometime." 

Adrien shifted on his feet "Marinette, I'm not staying in the city for long remember? I don't want to get anyone's hopes up that this is a permanent thing, or hurt anyone by leaving again…" 

"Adrien" she reached out, rest a hand on his arm so he would focus on her. She'd forgotten for a while that he didn't plan to stay, and though she found herself saddened by the news she tried to force the smile to stay on her face when he looked at her. "You've got to get this idea that distance means anything in friendships when it doesn't. You might leave Paris again, but  _ I _ still won't stop being your friend, and neither will anyone else. If you want proof, you should come to the Bottled Moon tonight. Our old class likes to get together now and again, so that's where we're going tonight. I know everyone would probably be thrilled to see you." 

"Erm…" Adrien wasn't too certain of that but didn't say it out loud "I'll think about it. I should get going though, or I'll be late. Thank you for the hot chocolate."

"No problem" Marinette took back the empty mug he handed her and felt her stomach sinking. She'd enjoyed talking with him, but had she pushed him too hard asking him to reach out to his old friends?

He called a taxi, which arrived by the time he'd left her apartment and gotten onto the street again, pausing to turn back and wave up at her in the window. Mari grinned, waving as she watched him leave, still wearing his jumper. She couldn't resist ducking her head, taking a deep breath of the grey fabric that smelled like him – though she felt embarrassed when she looked up and caught Tikki giving her a knowing look. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Delayed upload due to work, which is insanely busy atm.


	12. Chapter Twelve

“What did you do?”

Marinette winced. Alya was glaring at her through the laptop screen of their video chat, looking as though she had just rolled out of bed if her creased pyjamas and unbrushed hair were any clue, with a mug of coffee in her hand.

“How do you know I’ve done something stupid?”

“Because you only web chat me this early on a morning when you’ve kept yourself awake all night worrying about something” the redhead’s tone was flat, arching an eyebrow as she dared her friend to argue.

“Uh… well. I did the stupid thing this morning so technically that wasn’t why I was awake all night.”

“Why were you- “Alya shook her head “-never mind, we can talk about that later. C’mon, what did you do that got you worked up enough to call me before nine o’clock in the morning?”

It was a sacred rule in their friend group, not to call Alya before nine and never before her first cup of coffee. If you did either, you had better be dying, as she would put it. Marinette considered herself lucky it looked like Alya was rather enjoying her first cup of coffee, taking a deep drink while she waited for Mari to spill her guts.

“I ran into Adrien again this morning, and I might have invited him to come to the party tonight.”

Alya coughed, spluttering, and had to wipe the little bit of coffee that had dribbled from her lip on her pyjama sleeve. Marinette watched the whole thing with a grimace, waiting for her to compose herself again and respond.

“Okay… one, do I even want to know why you saw Adrien this early in the morning? And two… why?”

“I ran into him on my morning run” Marinette blushed, pulling at the sleeve of the jumper – his jumper – nervously “your mind always goes straight to the dirty places, Alya, geesh. And I don’t know why I didn’t really think about it when I did it. He just had this… pathetic kicked puppy look when he was looking at my photographs and- “

“-wait, he was in your apartment!?” Alya screeched, leaning closer to the laptop.

“Well, yeah. I fell over while running and he kind of cleaned up my bloody knee and walked me home again, so I invited him up and gave him hot chocolate…”

“Mmmhmm, and who’s jumper is that because it looks a bit too big to be yours?”

“…Adrien’s.”

Alya sighed, leaning back again and wiped a hand down her face before levelling a contemplative look at Marinette through the webcam. “You remember you gave me permission to slap you if you started falling for him again, right?”

“It's not like that!”

Alya didn’t look at all like she believed her but didn’t respond for a moment while she took another deep drink from her mug. When she finally did speak again, she asked “so, you invited him to come out with us tonight?”

“Yeah… I don’t really think he will because he didn’t seem keen on the idea at all. I’m pretty sure he’s still convinced that no one wants him around after he left so suddenly, and he thinks that since he had to leave again there’s not much point trying to repair the damage since he’s going to leave again” Mari explained in one rushed breath, before biting her lip “but after he left, I kind of began to wonder what if he did turn up? I mean, I was upset and angry when I was forced to meet him again suddenly, what about everyone else?”

Alya nodded, clicking her tongue “only you could get into so much trouble for being too nice, of all things.”

“I know. I just didn’t think!”

“Yeah” Alya agreed, sipping her coffee again. “Well, I’d love to say you should just tell him not to come but I know you’re too nice for that. Besides, Nino and I have been talking about it and, well, we do want to see Adrien again, but we’re still pretty upset over what happened. Especially Nino, and you know how mellow he usually is, so you know I’m not saying it lightly when I tell you he’s still pretty pissed off.”

Mari buried her face in her hands and groaned “urgh, I’m sorry Alya, I don’t mean to stress you and Nino out.”

“Marinette, you’re just being your wonderful kind self” Alya sighed again “but you can’t fix everything. Adrien is the one who needs to fix his broken relationships.”

“But just springing him on everyone without warning…”

“Yeah, not your brightest moment, but you have good intentions.”

Peeking over her fingers, Mari stared at her friend through the computer screen, watching as she took yet another sip of her coffee. When she’d panic called Alya, after realising that inviting Adrien along tonight might not have been her best idea ever, she’d expected annoyance and maybe even anger from her best friend. A little confused by the lack of reaction, she asked: “well, how would you feel if he turned up?”

“Me?” Alya raised her eyebrows in surprise, then thought about it “I guess… mixed feelings. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve thought pretty hard about it since you brought it up last week and I do want to see him again, because I have missed him the last few years, but I’m still pretty mad at him. Honestly, I’d probably be more focused on how Nino felt about it. I’ll have to warn him about you inviting him tonight when he finally wakes up.”

“Do you think he’ll be mad?”

“With you or with Adrien?”

“Alya…”

“I don’t know Mari, I love Nino to bits but I’m not inside his head. I’ll talk to him, and I’ll let you know. Maybe you should warn everyone else as well that you invited Adrien.”

“That’s probably a good idea.”

Alya could see Marinette was still fiddling with the sleeves of Adrien’s jumper, chewing on her lip. “Marinette don’t beat yourself up about it. As you said, he probably won’t turn up anyway.”

“Yeah” Mari agreed, shrugging slightly “okay, I’ll put it into the group chat that I invited him to let everyone know. Hopefully, no one else is too upset… I feel like an idiot.”

“You’re not an idiot, you’re just trying to be a good friend. I’ll see you tonight!”

“See you tonight Alya.”

****

Ladybug grimaced against the sleet as she slid slightly on the rooftop she’d just landed on, hearing the footsteps of her fellow heroes behind her, she turned just in time to reach out and grab Chat’s tail before he slipped completely while Carapace grabbed his arm to help steady him.

“The weather is going to make this more difficult” Ladybug called over the wind, and the groan of metal as the Yokai in front of them threw a car at Rena Rogue, who dodged it easily, keeping its attention on her as it sought to take the fox-tail necklace from her. “I want you two to stick together, get the victim and I’ll purify them.”

Carapace hesitated but did as she asked, leaving the rooftop and heading towards the Yokai. Chat lingered, eyeing her carefully “you’ll be on your own, are you sure about this Ladybug?”

She arched an eyebrow at him. It wasn’t often he questioned her instruction, usually leaving the plans up to her and happy to follow her lead. “I’ll be fine Chat. The Yokai is targeting Rena, and she’s keeping it distracted, you're faster than Carapace but he can make sure the victim isn’t harmed when you finally free them. I’ll follow closely, I just want to make sure there are no civilians in the way after last time…”

Yes, civilians were getting braver the more frequently these attacks happened. Much like when they were teenagers, and Ladybug had to keep an eye out for Alya running into the middle of a fight just to get footage for the Ladyblog, it seemed she’d inspired a new generation to do the same. The last few battles they’d needed to rescue reporters, teenagers and random spectators from getting squashed. Ironically, the only person Ladybug hadn’t seen in these groups was Alya herself!

Chat still looked doubtful, but he eventually nodded and chased after Carapace while Ladybug used her yoyo to swing across the streets to scope out the area and make sure there was no one lurking in harm's way. It took her only a few minutes to make sure the area was clear, but before she could join the other’s again something slammed into her stomach mid-air, knocking her off course and onto the street below with a groan.

“That was _embarrassingly_ easy” a lady’s voice, with a lilting accent she couldn’t quite place an area too, rang out in the empty street as Ladybug forced herself to stand back up, ignoring the throbbing in her stomach.

Enenra stood a few meters away, leaning on a staff that was almost as tall as she was, her spiked tail lay relaxed behind her rather than curled like the first time she had seen her. She was watching Ladybug, her black eyes unreadable, and a wicked grin on her face.

“What do you want?” Ladybug grunted, swinging her yoyo in circles, ready for an attack. Master Fu told her Enenra wanted revenge, but he didn’t say why. She didn’t really expect an answer, but she hoped she could stall for time until her lungs stopped aching from the blow that knocked her to the ground or one of the others realized she was missing.

“Aww, didn’t your guardian tell you before he took off running from the city and left you here all alone?” Enenra pouted, her voice dripping with sarcasm before the expression changed and she growled “I want the miraculous. All of them.”

“Why?” Ladybug stayed still, watching her the other woman as she stood up straighter and the tail behind her began to curl towards her back in threat.

“Why?” she spat the word “because we don’t deserve them. Nobody does!”

“So, _you’re_ going to take them?”

Enenra chuckled, and it sent a shiver down Ladybugs spine “I’m going to _destroy_ them, you ignorant girl. Do you think you are a _hero_? Do you think the guardians are _wise_? They are old fools, and you are nothing more than child abusing a _god_! In the end, it will destroy you, and _everything_ you love. You could end this, and hand them over, but I know you won’t. No one ever does. It’s addictive, the power they give you, and like an addict, you can’t stop. So, I’ll make you.”

She dove, jabbing her staff forward like a sword, but Ladybug had already predicted the move (years of training with Chat and Rena, who used their baton and flute in similar fashions paying off) and dodged out of the way. She slammed her elbow down on Enenra’s outstretched arm, causing the woman to cry out before she threw herself forwards and headbutted the spotted hero between her eyes. Ladybug stumbled, seeing nothing but flashing lights as the pain stung her face and made her eyes water for a moment. When she could see again it was just in time to dodge another blow from Enenra’s staff, but not in time to see the scorpion holders foot jab out and hook around her ankle, tripping her back onto the floor. Enenra quickly fell on top of Ladybug, sitting across her thighs and holding her staff long-ways against her throat. 

“All the stories I’d heard of the great heroes of Paris,” she cackled, leaning forwards on the staff deeper into her throat and making it harder to breathe, “I thought you’d be so much… more.”

“I’m not finished yet” Ladybug hissed, moving her arms up to cross them over her chest, pushing against Enenra’s bent elbows and preventing her from being able to choke her at all. The other woman looked confused by the move, then startled when Ladybug grinned bitterly before using the unnatural strength the Ladybug suit seemed to give by using her grip to roll with Enenra and throw her off.

“I thought you may have been in a spot of trouble Ladybug, but I see you're handling things quite well without me of course” Chat’s voice surprised her into looking up, only to find him perched on the streetlight above her.

“You could have stepped in any time kitty” she groaned, pushing herself back up. She looked over to where Enenra should have been, only to find the street empty. Looking around wildly, the area around them was deserted, with no sign of the scorpion holder.

“Wow, she’s fast…” Chat frowned, looking around bewilderedly “and it doesn’t take much to scare her off!”

“Did you see where she went?”

“If I did, I wouldn’t be sitting here, I’d be chasing her.”

“Dammit” Ladybug growled.

“I’m sure she’ll crawl out of whatever desert she came from again soon” Chat slid down the lamppost, landing beside her “don’t worry, we’ll get her.”

“Don’t worry, he says, but she hasn’t had you pinned to the floor twice now!” the red hero snorted, icy sarcasm dripping from every word, and she saw Chat’s ears lay back and almost disappear into his blonde hair. Schooling her tone into something less angry, she rubbed her forehead and asked, “what about the Yokai?”

“Still active, but we’ve rescued the victim. Rena’s keeping it preoccupied while Carapace waits with them. I got worried about how long you were taking to find us and decided to search for you instead… I knew I had a bad feeling about splitting up today.”

“Maybe we should listen to your gut more often” Ladybug sighed “come on then, let's go.”

Chat led her to a nearby rooftop where Carapace was waiting with the victim the Yokai had grown from, and Ladybug used her yoyo to draw Enenra’s venom from the teenager. Like the others, he was confused to suddenly wake up on a rooftop but soon bounced back with how cool it was and asked for a selfie so his friends would believe him. He left the rooftop by fire escape quite happily.

“I wish more of them where that chilled out, man” Carapace said, shaking his head after the teenager with a grin.

“I just hope that selfie doesn’t become viral, because we all look awful” Rena sighed.

“I hope not, I’m supposed to be at a party” Ladybug grimaced “civilian me, anyway.”

“You’ll probably still look fine once you detransform” the fox grinned “I love how the magic works like that.”

“Does nothing for our aches and pains though” Ladybug rubbed her stomach, still throbbing for the hit earlier. “I’ve been thinking, about how we should address these attacks publicly.”

“You mean finally face the demonic hoard of reporters that keep dogging our steps?” Chat arched an eyebrow, brushing off the glare Rena threw in his direction. That tended to be the reaction she gave whenever he spoke these days, so he paid no attention to it.

“Well, yeah. I know we’ve spoken to them individually when we have time, but I think we should do a proper interview. Explain the situation as calmly as we can. Maybe then we’ll get less bother from the reporters.”

“I think it’s a great idea, any idea which news station?” Rena tilted her head, large ears bobbing at the motion.

“Actually, I think we should do it for the Ladyblog.”

“Really?” Carapace’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, but he didn’t look against the idea. Rena’s mouth hung open in shock, and Chat shrugged.

“Yeah, I’ve met the girl who runs it a few times. I think her names, Alya Césaire. The truth about Enenra, that she could attack literally anybody in the city without warning, is going to be harsh for the public. I don’t want any news stations spinning a bad light on what’s already pretty dark news. I trust Alya to publish the truth, as we tell it.”

“O-oh” was all Rena said, looking away. Ladybug wasn’t sure, but she thought the fox hero’s eyes looked a bit wetter than usual. Her own eyes were beginning to sting from the harsh sleet still raining down on them though, so she dismissed it.

“I like that idea. I trust Alya too” Carapace grinned, looking oddly proud before eyes turned to Chat for his view.

“I don’t mind” the black cat shrugged “but I don’t particularly want to be the one to do the interview. No offence to Alya, but I don’t want to be bombarded with questions about why I left the city.”

“I think we can work around that” Ladybug nodded, understandingly.

“I’ll do it” Carapace offered “I’ll to the interview, I don’t mind. I even know the girl myself; I can arrange it with her.”

“Oh” Ladybug was surprised by the offer “are you sure?”

“Yeah man, leave it with me!”

“I guess that’s settled then” Ladybug smiled “just run it past me before you do it, okay?”

“No problem LB.”

“Well, I have to get going. Plans tonight!” Rena turned away without looking at any of them, Chat’s ear twitching as he realised her voice was a few octaves higher than usual, though he couldn’t understand why. She bounded away, disappearing from view shortly.

“I’m leaving too. I have a patrol to finish” the black cat twirled his baton, throwing the last two heroes a nod, before using it to bound away as well.

Ladybug turned to leave too, but Carapace stopped her. “LB, can I ask you a question?”

The turtle holder didn’t often seek out her advice, so she was curious about what he could want from her, assuming it was probably about the interview they’d just discussed. So, she was even more surprised when he asked something different.

“Sure, what’s wrong Carapace?”

“How did you forgive Chat Noir?”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Well…” he shuffled on the rooftop “I just want to know. I mean, he was your best friend, right? Or, you cared about each other a lot anyway. And he just up and left. How did you forgive that?”

Ladybug considered him for a moment, mulling over her response. “I suppose…it helps that I trust he wouldn’t have done it without good reason, even though he can’t tell me the reason. That makes it harder too though, it still hurts, and our relationship is not the same as it was. Why are you asking? Do you think I shouldn’t have forgiven him?”

“No! no, no!” Carapace shook his head “God, no. I think it's great he’s back, and whether or not you want to forgive him is your business. I’m… going through something similar, in my civilian life. I just don’t know what to do about it. It’s been a long time, but I still feel so angry with this person you know?”

Ladybug did know. Experiencing the return of Adrien, and then the return of Chat just days later, she knew exactly what he meant about the anger. Though now she could see it had been more about how hurt she was. “Well, I guess it depends on if you want this person back in your life. Forgiving someone doesn’t mean you're letting them off the hook for what they did to you because you’ll always remember that hurt. It's more about the decision to move on from It. I can’t say more than that, because it's your decision.”

Carapace heaved a great sigh but offered her a small grin “actually I think that might have helped a little. Thanks, LB.”

“Glad I could help, but I should go too. If I’m late they’ll ask where I was and I’m not great at lying.”

“Yeah, me too. See you soon ‘bug.”

“Later Shelly!”

****

Marinette de-transformed in an alley close by the bar where she was meeting her old classmates, relived that the sleet had stopped. Thankfully Rena was right, and their superhero transformations meant that under the Ladybug suit, her party clothes (a light pink glittery skirt, black tights, flat shoes, a black mesh blouse and a pink purse with a gold chain strap) were all dry, and her makeup hadn’t smudged. Unfortunately, she’d detransformed at her home, and forgotten her jacket, so the damp cold in the air bit into her immediately. She opened her purse for Tikki to hide in, glad she’d pre-packed a few cookies for her, and hurried the rest of the way to the bar.

Mari thought for sure that she would be the last one to arrive, not that this would be unusual and her classmates had long since gotten used to her tardiness back when they still had classes together (becoming Ladybug had only made her lateness worse, she knew) so she was quite surprised when she was told Alya and Nino hadn’t arrived yet either. In fact, they didn’t get there until she had already fought her way through the crowd to the bar and gotten her first drink, before retreating back to the corner where she had to climb up the tall stools just to sit down properly.

“Oh, we can guess what you two where doing” Alix wriggled her eyebrows, laughing at the hurried looking couple as they finally stumbled in.

“Mm, I wish that’s what we where doing” Alya groaned “just got caught in the bad weather on the way back from work, that’s all.”

“I just forgot the time” Nino shrugged.

“Suuure” Kim laughed.

Marinette was quiet, only talking when she was spoken too, and sipping her drink as she absently listened to her friends chattering among themselves. Her stomach still ached where she’d taken the hit from Enenra, making her kind of wish she’d decided not to come at all. Besides that, her head was swimming. This morning her biggest worry was that Adrien would accept her invitation and turn up to the part too. Now her head was full of questions about Enenra, putting the two problems in perspective for her it was easy to see which one was more important. What did she mean, that the miraculous would destroy everything she loved? That they were addictive? She needed to know what had happened to Enenra, why she needed revenge, but Master Fu – the only other person she could think might know – was in hiding, and probably wouldn’t return until he knew it was safe, meaning once Enenra was gone.

She was on her third drink when she looked up and realised she was one of the only ones left at their table, aside from Ivan and Mylène who were far too interested in each other to notice her sitting at the corner of the table. Looking around the bar it seemed most of her class had joined the dance floor, not that many of them were dancing well she noted, but alcohol did wonders for someone’s confidence. Despite the upbeat music, Nathaniel kept twirling and dipping Chloe, who seemed thrilled with the dramatics and kept giggling like a schoolgirl. Alix and Kim seemed to be competing in some kind of dance-off, or perhaps seeing who could do the worm the longest, while some people around their cheered.

“You know” someone leaned in close beside her to be heard over the music, making her jump and nearly fall off the tall stool, if a strong arm hadn’t wrapped itself around her back and made sure she stayed upright she probably would’ve been on the floor “I’ve been sitting here for ten minutes, I thought you’d never look up.”

“Adrien!” Mari hissed, her eyes going wide. She hadn’t honestly thought he’d turn up!

“Shh,” he admonished playfully, dropping his arm from her back and putting it back on the table with his other one “I’m lying low for now.”

Marinette frowned at that and glanced him over. Since he’d come back the only thing, she’d ever seen him wearing were suits or his jogging outfit. Now he was sitting beside her in a pair of what she guessed where designer jeans and a black sweatshirt with the hood pulled up. He looked embarrassed at her staring and put a hand under his hood to rub his neck. “I guess I’m underdressed, I just didn’t want to be noticed too much if I wasn’t welcome… you look great by the way!”

“Thank you” Mari grinned, shaking her head “but I have to ask if you didn’t think you’d be welcome why did you show up?”

“Because apparently _someone_ -” he raised an eyebrow at her “-asked a group chat containing _Chloe_ if it was okay to invite me. And Chloe being Chloe… let’s just say, after the phone call I got, I was more afraid not to come.”

Marinette laughed. She hadn’t thought about how Chloe might respond when she’d put into the group chat she had invited Adrien to their party (there was shocked surprise from their classmates, but no one was unhappy about it) but she should have expected something like this.

“Oh yes, please, laugh at my misery” Adrien snarked her, pinching her shoulder lightly “if I ever get a chance to sic Chloe on you, I’ll be returning the favour without hesitation!”

“I-I didn’t-“Mari tried to talk through her laughter, but kept breaking into giggles at his sour expression “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to send Chloe after you. I just realised I should have asked everyone before I just invited you like that.”

“Yeah” the humour dropped from his voice “I imagine some people might not be too pleased to see me but… you’ve made me a bit hopeful.”

“I have?”

“Yeah” he smiled, making her blush “though, I do feel like that home-schooled kid joining a public class for the first time again…”

“You made friends easily back then.”

“Yeah, but that was before my father turned most of my new friends into monsters.”

Marinette frowned, but before she could respond she heard Ivan across the table. “You okay, Marinette?”

Looking over she saw Ivan and Mylene were both looking at her, concerned expressions on their faces, and it took her a moment to realise why. Adrien probably looked quite sinister to them, with his hood pulled over his face, considering the bar was already lit rather dimly in the corner they’d chosen to sit. Ivan looked to be half out of his seat, probably ready to defend her if she needed it from the creepy stranger.

“Everything’s fine guys” Mari reassured them. Beside her, Adrien realised how creepy it must look, sitting in the dark part of a bar with a lone young woman, wearing his dark hood over his face, and cursed himself for not thinking it through. Swallowing down his nerves, even though the butterflies in his stomach were making him feel physically sick, he lifted his head enough so they could see his face, and pulled down his hood.

Ivan blinked a few times, clearly confused until Mylene gasped beside him “Adrien!?”

“Umm, hi?” he offered them an uncertain smile “long time no see…”

“Ohmygosh how have you been?” Mylene leaned as far forward as the table would allow to hear him over the music “gosh, how long has it been since we’ve seen you? Six years? Feels like yesterday!”

“It’s good to see you” Ivan nodded, lifting his pint glass.

Adrien felt a sigh of relief leaving him, though the queasiness in his stomach didn’t quite settle, and gave sideways look at Marinette beside him. Surprisingly, she was already looking at him and blushed when he caught her eye, giving him an encouraging smile.

“Adrikins!”

He felt his stomach drop at the yell before a warm body slammed into his side and arms wrapped themselves around him squeezing tightly. He caught Marinette snickering, and threw her a look before twisting the only arm he could still move around to pat one of Chloe’s arms awkwardly. “Eh… nice to see you too Chloe.”

“Well, of course, it is” Chloe rolled her eyes, but released him from her strangling grip so she could rest her hands on her hips, spotting Marinette just behind him. “I could not believe it when you told us you had invited him, I just couldn’t, so I had to find out for myself. Then he had the gall to tell me he wasn’t even going to come tonight? Can you believe it!”

“Don’t tell me you bullied him into coming out tonight Chloe” Alix re-joined the table with a tray adorned with colourful looking shot glasses, having heard the blonde’s yell over the music just like most of their classmates who were now approaching the table curiously.

“I would never!”

“Uh-huh, Nathaniel?” Alix raised an eyebrow at the artist, standing behind Chloe.

“Not bullying… perhaps aggressive persuasion” Nathaniel shrugged, but looked over the blonde’s head to meet Adrien’s look and nodded at him in greeting “it’s been a while.”

“Yeah!” Kim slammed a hand on the table, making everyone jump “six damn years and not a work Agreste, what gives?”

Adrien sighed, looking around the table. Everyone was there, from Ivan and Mylene, to Juleka and Rose. He could even see Nino and Alya, though they stood a little further back from everyone, but still watched. “I’m sorry…I thought… I didn’t…” he struggled with his words, feeling his heart begin to race and his stomach knotting as he met the eyes of people he thought he’d never see again. Eyes he was sure would turn on him with hatred any second. He wondered if he should leave, this had obviously been a mistake…

He felt a small pressure on his arm and looked in surprise at the warmth he suddenly felt. Marinette wasn’t looking at him, she was actually sipping her drink holding the straw daintily with her fingers as though she hadn’t a care in the world, but she had leaned into him, pressing her arm and shoulder against his. They sat close enough together on the crowded table that he doubted anyone else would have even noticed the subtle move. He didn’t even know if she’d done it on purpose, or if it was a result of them being squished together as their classmates gathered around, but he didn’t care. He found an odd comfort in the contact with her, and he used it to ground himself before he tried to continue talking again.

“I’m sorry I left without speaking to any of you,” he said, after taking a breath. It was a speech he’d often mulled over in his head on lonely nights the last few years, and one his friends deserved to hear. “I’m also sorry I ignored you when you tried to reach out to me… I hurt you, I pushed you away, and I understand if you still want to be angry with me.”

Silence settled on the table.

“Woah” Alix scowled “nice speech, but I prefer my apologies in the form of alcohol.”

“Whaddya say Agreste, next round on you?” Kim raised an eyebrow.

“Why do I feel like I’m going to regret saying yes?”

“Because you probably will” Max sighed, standing on Kim’s other side “I don’t even need to do the math for that.”

“Drinks on Agreste!” Kim hollered, punching the air and making his way over, Alix following him as she cheered. A few others went with them, though none quite as loudly.

The night moved on from – what he felt was – his incredibly awkward apology speech, and Adrien felt his nerves calming with every passing moment. For a while, he stayed by Marinette’s side. She was still leaning into him, it was like she knew he wasn’t quite ready to face everyone alone, but she eventually left him to go and dance with the girls – though, only once she was sure he was settled with Max and Ivan who were talking to him about some of the countries he’d visited. He got to speak with most of his classmates, and catch up on what they were doing with their lives. He wasn’t at all surprised that Max had gone on to design his own videogames, or that Kim had become a personal trainer.

Adrien wasn’t sure how many drinks he had before he became aware that he was slightly tipsy, considering Kim had never let his glass get empty while they were talking. The pleasant warmth that came with too many drinks did help take that initial edge off his nerves at least until he looked around while laughing as Kim told the group about how disastrous his last date had gone (he hadn’t explained exactly how yet, but he somehow ended up getting a breadstick stuck up his nose) and noticed Nino and Alya a little further away from them. Nino had a drink in his hand and kept taking long gulps as he frowned at something Alya was saying. Neither of them noticed him watching, and it was the moment Adrien realised that neither of them had tried speaking to him yet.

Wanting to smooth things over with them, and perhaps encouraged by the drinks he’d had, Adrien stood up and started to approach them. In his head, he was rehearsing greetings. Should he just say ‘hi’? Maybe he should just outright apologise to them again, but more personally…

Alya saw him approaching and scowled, stopping him in his footsteps.

He looked away from her. Of course, she didn’t want him to come over if she or Nino were ready to forgive him they wouldn’t have been secluding themselves. It was a mistake to think everything was going fine. There were probably others who didn’t forgive him either, how could they?

“Adrien?” Marinette had been heading back to the table when she’d spotted him, standing stock-still in the middle of the floor, a shadow across his face. She’d almost walked passed him completely, feeling a buzz from all the drinks she’d had too that night, if she hadn’t wobbled a bit and nearly knocked into him then she may not have noticed him, or the shift in his mood.

“Marinette…” he sounded almost dazed, and she wondered how much he’d drank too. “Listen, I think I’m going to go home now…”

“Oh,” she tried not to sound so disappointed, feeling a frown form on her face “are you sure? It looked like you were having fun?”

“I was” he nodded, reassuring her “I just… don’t think everyone was ready for this. I should go, I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.”

Marinette wanted to argue with him, to ask him to stay, but she swallowed down the urge and nodded. She was glad he took this step, and that their classmates had made him feel mostly welcome, but if he still felt it was too much then asking too much of him too soon. She’d noticed it earlier when he’d panicked when their classmates had gathered around him like hungry wolves. She’d heard the shake in his voice, the harsh way he breathed and felt the tremble of his muscles beside her. She’d lent on him to try and show him, wordlessly, that she was there for him and it seemed to work. It didn’t seem to have taken away all of his anxiety though, so she didn’t argue with him when he felt like he needed to go.

“Alright” she nodded instead “I’ll wait outside with you for a taxi. And don’t say you’ll be fine, you don’t get a choice in this.”

“I was going to walk, actually” or at least see if he could convince Plagg to let him transform and take the fast way home.

“In your condition?” she raised an eyebrow “pretty sure you’ve drunk more than me since you’ve been hanging out with Kim most of the night. No way. Friends make sure friends get home safe. Besides, you’ve walked me home twice now, so I owe you.”

Adrien didn’t have an argument for that, though he did try telling her that she owed him nothing. Marinette waited as he explained he was leaving to the rest of the group – Chloe and Kim being the loudest protestors – and he tried to spot Nino and Alya but they seemed to have disappeared from the bar altogether. He could feel his heart sinking, knowing the two he considered some of his best friends did not want to see him, but he could understand why. After extracting himself from Chloe again (she promptly wrapped herself around Nathaniel, so he knew she wasn’t going to miss him too much) he went outside with Marinette to call a taxi.

“I think that went quite well,” she said, taking a sip of the drink she brought outside with her.

“Yeah...”

“Better than you expected?”

“I thought there would be more angry yelling…” he nodded, letting out a shaky laugh “I’m glad there wasn’t. I was so nervous, I thought I was going to be sick.”

“I’m glad you weren’t, I was right next to you.”

“Yeah” he looked down, expression soft “yeah, you were. Thank you.”

Marinette did her best to frown, to give him a puzzled look like she had no idea what he could be thanking her for, but she was pretty sure the blush she could feel burning her face gave away the fact she knew exactly what he was thanking for. She didn’t have to mention it though, saved when someone stumbled out of the bar behind them loudly. The pair looked around, startled by the noise, surprised to find it was Nino and Alya who had followed them outside.

“Babe…” Alya was following Nino, who had spotted Adrien and Mari, with her arms folded over her chest looking uncertain.

Nino didn’t seem to have heard her, and threw an accusatory finger up at Adrien “your leaving again!” 

“I- “

“You’re leaving, and you didn’t say goodbye, again!”

Adrien stared. He didn’t know how to respond and felt like his entire body had frozen on the spot. “I-I, Nino, I’m sorry, I- “

“Sorry doesn’t make it hurt any less!” Nino raised his voice, though he wasn’t quite yelling yet “you were like my _brother_ dude, and you just left…”

Adrien was taken aback by that. True, he’d thought of Nino as the brother he’d never have, but he had no idea the other man felt the same. He’d always felt he was maybe too attached to his best friend, and often felt awkward about it, trying to restrict himself in his social interactions mostly out of fear he’d do something wrong or that his father would take his friends away. But it was how he felt about his friends that made him feel like leaving was the best option.

“I didn’t want to…” Adrien ran a hand through his hair, glancing at Marinette for help he knew she couldn’t give, before focusing back on Nino “leaving was the best option. I didn’t want you dragged through the same hell I was, because I knew you’d follow me down that path if I stayed. All of you.”

“That was _our_ choice to make!”

“ _No_ , it wasn’t” Adrien shook his head “Hawkmoth was _my_ father, not yours. All of my friends, he _used you_ all for his own plans. Bubbler, Lady Wi-Fi…” he saw Alya, who had been silently watching, look away at the mention of what Hawkmoth had turned her into. Even Nino’s eyes widened, though he didn’t look any less upset.

“I don’t give a shit what your dad did, I care about what you did!” Nino took another step forward, his hands clenching into fists at his sides “you didn’t just leave, you abandoned us. We needed you too, but you couldn’t even answer your phone.”

Adrien scowled at that and felt himself starting to get annoyed. “I’m sorry Nino, but a lot was going on considering my own father had just been unmasked as a domestic-supervillain-terrorist! It’s not like I was dealing with suddenly running a company responsible for the livelihood of thousands of people, or being hunted down at every turn by paparazzi, or being bombarded every day with threats against myself or the people I cared about – including you!”

“You didn’t have to do it all on your own!” Nino protested loudly, throwing his arms up in frustration.

“Yes, I did!” Adrien shouted this time, his frustration getting the better of him for a moment “it was my mess to deal with. Mine! You, Alya, Marinette and everyone else are better off without me and my problems in your lives!”

Pain exploded in the side of Adrien’s face and it took him a moment to realise he’d been punched. It wasn’t a particularly good punch, but considering his inebriated state it had been enough to knock him over. He was on the floor now, dazed, but aware of shouting. He blinked, and the world made a little bit more sense. More people had come out of the bar now, probably to see what all the shouting was about. Nino was now several steps away, shaking his throbbing hand and it looked like Alya might be scolding him for something.

“Adrien, are you alright?”

He looked around, realising Marinette was crouched down, her expression pulled into a concerned frown as her blue eyes searched his face. It was cute. He could almost count all her freckles.

Marinette sighed, standing up and offering him her hand to help him. The punch hadn’t been a strong one, and it looked like Nino had done almost as much damage to his hand as he had Adrien’s face, but Adrien had hit his head on the cobblestone road when he had fallen and there was a small cut in his hairline trickling blood. “Come on,” she told him gently as he took her hand, looking surprised when she was able to pull him up from the ground “let's go get you cleaned up while everyone calms down”

“Cleaned up?”

“You’re bleeding.”

“I am?”

Shaking her head, Marinette led Adrien across the road to a wooden bench and sat him down. She doubted he had seriously hurt himself, though the lack of arguing with her instructions was concerning her a little, so she kept her focus on cleaning the cut near his temple. She opened her purse, making sure Tikki was hidden from his view as the Kwami popped out, offering her a tissue and a sympathetic expression. Marinette sat down facing him on the bench as she began dabbing the small amount of blood away.

“You don’t have to do that,” he told her after a moment.

“Yeah, I do” Mari bit her lip “I’ve had more than my fair share of injuries, it’s the little ones you don’t think will be a problem that tends to cause the most problems. Cleaning it now will be better than cleaning it later… or when you sober up and remember.”

“I’m not that drunk.”

“Drunk enough to get floored by Nino, who can probably count the number of punches he’s ever thrown in his life on one hand.”

He chuckled at that, watching her out of the side of his eye. He’d always admired her kindness, and it may have been the alcohol or the blow to the head but he thought it shone out of her at that moment. She was still biting her lip adorably, her eyes focused on whatever injury he had on his head.

“Why didn’t you tell me before that you got threats?” her question surprised him, and he stopped staring at her.

“What?”

“You said you got threats…?” she titled her head so she could look at his face.

“I guess I didn’t want you to worry” he frowned, more to himself as he thought over his answer “I didn’t take them too seriously anyway, not until they started to threaten my friends because they couldn’t get to me. I still doubted they would really do anything, the police advised me that it wasn’t unusual to get threats after something like that and very few of them were ever serious…”

Marinette sighed, not for the first time wondering just what it had been like over the last few years for him. “Nino was right you know; you didn’t need to go through that by yourself.”

“I know” Adrien nodded “but it wasn’t your problem to bare.”

“Not really yours either” she grumbled “your dad was Hawkmoth, not you. It’s not fair.”

“Is anything ever fair?”

“I suppose. Hold still, I think I’ve almost stopped the bleeding.”

She wiped around the cut with the tissue, and he winced. Somehow that had hurt worse than when she was putting pressure on it. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye again.

“I don’t deserve this” the words fell from his mouth before he could stop them, and at the confused frown on her face, he wished he could take them back.

“What?” she asked, noticing the way he squeezed his eyes shut and turned away.

“I don’t… deserve it. Nino was right to hit me, he’s right to be angry. You should still be angry. I don’t deserve any of your friendships. You’re too kind Mari, I don’t deserve it…”

Marinette gaped at him, her eyebrows shooting up. He looked so tired all of a sudden, leaning back on the bench with his eyes shut, and she felt her chest ache for him. “Adrien… it’s not about what you think you deserve. It’s what I – or anyone else – choose to give you. I think you’re wrong, though. You might have gone about it badly, but you tried to protect us.”

She rested a hand on his arm, and Adrien opened his eyes again to look at her.

“I’m your friend Adrien, deserve it or not” she smiled sweetly, and he felt the tug of his own lips in response. Seeing the beginning of a smile on his face, Marinette bumped him with her shoulder playfully “yup, stuck with me I’m afraid.”

“I… don’t think I mind that.”

“Oh, you might” She gave him a sly look “I have this friend who keeps reminding me I’m terribly clumsy.”

Adrien blushed, but played along “oh? Well, does this friend also remember to point out how amazing you are?”

“Maybe once.”

“I’ll have to have talk with him and remind him to do it more often.”

They laughed, though they stopped when someone cleared their throat. Looking up, they were surprised to see Nino and Alya had approached them, looking a lot less angry than they had moments earlier. Reading the expression on Nino’s face, Marinette go up off the bench and moved to stand near Alya, giving the two boys some space.

“Um…” Nino rubbed his arm awkwardly “look, I’m sorry I hit you. I don’t know why I did that.”

“It’s okay” Adrien assured him, standing “I probably needed some sense knocked into me. I’m sorry I left and didn’t contact you again. I should have explained at the time. I know apologising doesn’t really help…”

The two men looked away from each other awkwardly.

“Look man I uh… I mean… I missed you” Nino huffed, glancing back at the blonde “I missed you dude. Every damn day for six years.”

“I-” Adrien lifted his eyes to look at Alya and Marinette standing to the side, before settling back on Nino “I missed you too, all of you.”

“And you’re an idiot.”

“I’m an idiot” Adrien agreed, matching the small smile Nino gave him as he approached. When Nino opened his arms and gave him an unexpected ‘guy hug’, which involved slapping him on the back maybe a little harder than necessary, that smile turned into a full grin.

“Now kiss!”

The yell made the two men jump apart, looking around in surprise to find the source of the shout had been Alix, standing outside the bar across the road and watching them with a few of their other classmates, most of whom where now laughing. Nino and Adrien started laughing too, as Nino put his hand on Adrien’s shoulder to get his attention.

“Seriously dude, I do forgive you. It still hurts, but you’re still my best friend even after six years… and I want you in my life.”

Adrien smiled, surprised at the weight that seemed to lift off his chest at Nino’s confession. “I’d really like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow okay so I think this is the longest chapter yet. I did try to shorten it but I wasn't happy with the short version, so here, have the long version. 
> 
> Carapace gets advice from Ladybug, at all the theories about who may have a discussion with who about civilian/hero lives I don't think I saw that combination come up. However, I thought it made sense. Nino/Carapace is going through a similar situation as Ladybug/Marinette. Of course not knowing each others identities they have no idea exactly how connected they all are. I'm looking forward to writing their reactions when they do xD 
> 
> More information from Enenra. I hope her crazy is shining through for you all. Also that move Ladybug uses to stop her being choked with the staff is an actual self-defence move I learned in one of my classes. Being a short girl myself I've not managed to actually get anyone off me in that position, but it does stop them from being able to choke you, so I took liberties with her 'super strength' to toss Enenra off her. I imagine Mari really is pretty strong, even outside of the Ladybug suit. 
> 
> And Adrien does go to the party. Did you really think Chloe would let him stay home once she got wind of it? No no. Thankfully most of the class are extremely forgiving people, they're just happy to see him again. 
> 
> Then there's Nino and Alya. Alya hasn't said much yet, she's been focused on Nino and how he feels, but we'll get to see some of her and Adrien interacting soon. Nino punching Adrien may be a bit out of character, but a lot happens when you've got alcohol in your system and hurt feelings. Plus writing the scene without the punch just seemed odd, they needed to get that anger out of their systems. 
> 
> Adrien is probably going to hear about this punch for a long time off Plagg.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

“How’s this M’?”

Marinette looked up from the cookie she was supposed to be icing to look like a penguin (though, her icing bag was refusing to be very cooperative and she was trying not to get frustrated) and over at Alya. She was working on the Santa cookies, and though she was getting the bright red icing everywhere and not just on the cookie, Mari had to concede that it wasn’t a bad job.

“Looks great Alya” Marinette grinned “years of helping me have clearly paid off, we’ll make a baker of you yet.”

“Hah, icing a cookie does not a baker make” the redhead sighed dramatically, shutting her eyes and holding the back of her hand to her head “I fear I will never reach the stardom of the Dupain-Cheng’s”. She opened one eye to glance over at her best friend.

Mari snickered, and flicked a bit of the white icing that had beaded up and dried on the table at her. Alya pretended to be offended, flicking her head in a way that reminded Marinette of Chloe, before they dissolved into giggles.

Alya’s phone buzzed and she picked it up, still giggling. “It’s Nino” she announced, “he says they’re on their way here. I guess that means he’s bringing Adrien with him.”

“Yeah?” Marinette tried not to sound too interested “how’s it going with them?”

“Oh please, like you haven’t already heard about it from Adrien” Alya snickered.

“I haven’t actually” Mari raised an eyebrow, but tried to stay focused on the penguin she was supposed to be icing “I haven’t heard from him since the party the other night actually.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Huh.”

Marinette put down her icing bag and looked up at Alya, who had a sly look on her face. “What?”

“Nothing, just surprised” Alya held her hands up in surrender, but didn’t drop her smirk “I mean, you two seemed pretty attached the other night. Cleaning him up after he got punched, and the way he was attached to your hip the rest of the night…”

“So?” Marinette turned back to the cookie, fighting the blush she could feel trying to warm her face “we’re just friends. I was trying to be supportive. Besides, I told you to slap me if you thought I was starting to crush on him again not encourage me.”

“What can I say, I guess even a broken ship still has the chance to float. And you’d still be adorable together.”

Marinette tried to change tactics “I thought you were still angry with him?”

Alya’s grin slipped slightly, and she folded her arms “I’m… reserving judgement. For Nino’s sake.”

“What about your feelings though?” Mari glanced at her “you always talk about how Nino and I feel about Adrien, what about you?”

“I’m not the one with a huge crush on him” Alya dismissed her “and I mean both you and Nino with that statement.”

“Mm,” Mari side-eyed her but knew she couldn’t make Alya talk if the other girl didn’t want to “we’re just friends” she repeated.

“Are you sure? Because I’m pretty sure I caught him staring at your ass at least twice the other night.”

“Alya!” Mari jerked her head up to look at her, losing the battle with the blush she’d been fighting, only to find the redhead cackling with laughter.

“You girls alright in here?” Sabine popped her head into the back room of the bakery where they were icing the cookies.

“We’re fine Maman” Marinette assured her mother, while Alya nodded and got her giggles under control.

“Okay, just give me a shout if those cookies give you trouble.”

“No problem Maman” Mari smiled “oh, but I think Nino and Adrien are on their way here. Can you let us know when they’re here?”

“Of course honey.”

“Thank you, Maman.”

Marinette waiting until her mother had left again before she looked at Alya “Adrien and I are just friends, which is a step up from just ‘people who work together’ like we were last month.”

“Alright” Alya raised her eyebrows “just saying though, who’s to say ‘just friends’ won’t evolve into something else too?”

“Doubt it” Mari tried to focus on icing the cookie again “I’d worry more about Nino falling head over heels with him instead by the sound of it.”

“Yeah” Alya snickered “I wouldn’t even be surprised, honestly. They’ve hung out every night since the party, Nino says Adrien’s apartment is amazing but what do you expect from someone who literally owns one of the most successful brands in fashion?”

“True. So they’re getting along?”

“Well, Adrien’s forgiven Nino for punching his million-dollar-insured face, and Nino’s forgiven Adrien for cutting contact with him…” Alya pulled a face “Adrien keeps apologising still.”

“Yeah, he seems to think he doesn’t deserve to be forgiven” Mari sighed “that’s what he said after Nino hit him anyway.”

The redhead frowned “I guess that might be why he’s so keen to hang out every time Nino invites him someplace. Did I tell you where they have been today?”

“No?”

“Max invited them to the opening of a new arcade. Vintage games and the new releases, holding some kind of grand opening convention thing.”

“What?” Mari sat up a bit straighter “why weren’t we invited? I swear if they got to play the new Mecha Strike-“

“-you’ll worship us for buying a copy and bringing it home?” Nino interrupted, making both girls spin around in surprise. He and Adrien were standing in the doorway, Marinette’s father ushering them through and out of the way, holding up a white bag in victory that probably contained the game.

“No way” Mari jumped up, bouncing over to Nino as he unwrapped the game from the bag “no way! This isn’t even going to be released in the stores until next week!”

“Thank blondie” Nino jerked his head towards Adrien, handing Mari the game so she could take a better look “he’s the one who could afford to asinine price for the early release.”

Adrien shrugged, scratching the back of his neck “well, the game was good and I didn’t mind paying…”

“Wait, you got to _play_?” Mari turned to him, eyes wide.

“Oh yeah,” Nino wiggled his eyebrows “we even got to speak with some of the people who helped work on it, to learn the best combo moves! You won’t beat us this time, Dupain-Cheng!”

“Oh please,” Mari scoffed, teasing “they haven’t invented a combo move yet I haven’t figured out. I play all the older games with my dad all the time!”

“Oooh” Alya crept forward “is that a challenge?”

“What do you say, baker girl” Nino wriggled his eyebrows “Mecha tournament tonight? Guys versus girls?”

Mari chewed on her lip. She had patrol tonight, and though the city had been relatively quiet in regards to both Yokai attacks and other crimes she knew she’d be late to any plans if something went wrong. “I have some things to take care of after we’re finished here…” she said slowly “but I could meet you after. Say half seven or later-ish?”

Adrien piped up “I have to go to the office and take care of a few bits too, but I could make around the same time.”

“Hmm, not suspicious at all” Alya whispered behind Mari, laughing through her grimace when Mari elbowed her rib lightly in retaliation.

“Alright, tonight. Mecha tournament. Loser buys the pizza, deal?” Nino raised an eyebrow in challenge.

The girls looked at each other, smirking. “Deal.”

*****

Ladybug arched high in the sky, flying just above the top of the Eiffel tower, before her yoyo string went taut and brought her back down again. The cold north wind stung against the exposed parts of her face, she could even feel the chill through her suit, but the thrill of flying high through the air kept her from freezing up too badly.

She fell fast and crouched when she landed on the highest platform, taking the force of the fall with her entire body rather than just her legs. Grinning, she flicked her yoyo to retract the string back before looping it around her waist, turning to look out over the city with the toes of her feet hanging precariously over the edge of the platform and feeling adrenaline rocket through her veins at the feel of nothing but air beneath her toes.

She always started her patrol from the tower. It let her survey the city from above before she started, not that she could see very far in a city as large as Paris, but further than most other places would allow her. She hoped to get tonight’s patrol done a bit earlier, so she could hopefully shower and change before going to Nino and Alya’s for the impromptu Mecha Strike tournament. The entire thing gave her a childish thrill, reminding her of the number of times she’d met her friends after patrol for similar reasons as a teenager with Alya, Nino and Adrien.

She walked around the square platform, surveying the city before she would begin patrol. Normally she’d take her time with this, but Adrien had agreed to meet at her place and walk with her to Nino’s and she wanted to make sure she wasn’t late if anything on the patrol went wrong. She loosened her yoyo from her waist again, about to leave, when a voice startled her.

“Good evening Ladybug.”

She nearly fell off the tower.

Managing to keep her balance by throwing her arms backwards and taking a step away from the edge, Ladybug took a deep breath to calm her pounding heart before turning to glare at Chat Noir.

Chat looked at her with raised eyebrows “standing a little too close to the edge tonight ‘bug? You used to scold me for that.”

“I was only standing that close because I was about to leave” Ladybug huffed, folding her arms over her chest and looking away.

Chat frowned slightly at this. He’d been watching her before he approached her, and he had seen how close she’d stood to the edge from the moment she arrived. He dismissed it though, she probably just didn’t want to be caught out doing exactly what she used to tell him off for.

“Why are you here Chat? I thought you agreed to patrol Sunday night like you used to?” she asked.

“Well” Chat’s ears flattened a little, and he scratched his head “I was thinking… I know I can’t take back the hurt you felt when I left, especially considering my final words and how you misconstrued them to think I didn’t want to be your partner at all anymore – not that I blame you for that, I can see why you misunderstood….”

“Okay…” Ladybug tilted her head, listening keenly. The last few weeks Chat hadn’t said very much, nor did he seek her out after battles to talk like he used to. The first week he was back she wondered if he’d turn up to patrol on her day, like he used to, but he didn’t and she hadn’t been surprised considering how distant their time apart had made them. She didn’t know what to think, now that he was here.

“Yeah, and I know I haven’t seemed like the most active partner since my return when that’s what I’m supposed to be… your partner. I want to apologise, I’ll try harder from now on.”

That, she wasn’t expecting, and she frowned at him. Chat stood their awkwardly, wondering if the frown meant she was upset with him, waiting for her to tell him how disappointed she was.

Instead, she asked in a rather confused tone “why are you apologising?”

“Huh?”

“Chat, I don’t know why you left and yeah it hurt and you’ve already explained it was something to do with your civilian life which I respect. I wish I knew why, so I could understand you better, but I can’t. I expect whatever it was though, as well as the years since we’ve seen each other, have changed you. Changed us both. I don’t expect you to be the same Chat Noir you're where, as much as I miss it.” Ladybug gave him a slight, almost sad, smile before she continued “but you don’t need to apologise for… for changing. Or try harder. You don’t even need to be my partner anymore if you don’t want to be…”

“I want to be!” he yelped, eyes wide.

“Oh, good” she laughed, relieved “because I couldn’t think of anyone else I would want as my partner. Anyway, my point is, you don’t need to apologise that the person you are now is a little different from the person you were as a teenager. We’re all different, we’ve all grown up.”

“No” he spoke slowly, turning to look out at the lights of the city as the wind ruffled his hair, smiling slightly “but I felt like I should. I’ve apologised to a lot of people the last few days, it’s really helped to clear the air and I think I’ve even gotten my friends back when I thought I’d lost them forever. I didn’t want to lose you too.”

Ladybug punched him on the shoulder, nor very hard, but enough to make him stumble slightly in surprise and rub his arm. “You won’t lose me kitty, you never lost me” she smiled.

A smile grew on Chat’s face in response, his ears perking forward.

“So, are you coming?” she asked, nodding towards the city “I’m in a hurry tonight, so I could use a hand with this patrol if you don’t mind?”

“Mmm, can’t offer a hand. I could give you a helping paw though” his smile turned into a grin as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

She rolled her eyes but didn’t respond, throwing her yoyo and taking off across the city. She didn’t need to check if he was following her, she knew he was, but as they raced over rooftops and she caught him across the street chasing after her like a green-eyed shadow she couldn’t help grin. It was like they were teenagers again.

They split up in parts of the city, re-meeting again on the path back to the tower, but overall where finished twice as fast as when Ladybug would patrol alone.

“Thank you kitty” Ladybug laughed, stretching off their run as they stood on one of the lower platforms of the tower this time “I had almost forgotten how much fun it was to patrol with a partner.”

“Don’t you ever patrol with Rena or Carapace?” he asked, his grin slipping a little.

“Once or twice” she shrugged, “that’s probably the fastest patrol I’ve done in years.”

“I’m glad it went so smoothly” he agreed “for once I actually have plans tonight, I’d hate to have cancelled.”

“Oh” Ladybug raised her eyebrows “I’m sorry Chat, you didn’t need to help me.”

“I wanted to” he reassured, shrugging “besides, you said you were in a hurry too. As you said, it went a lot quicker with two of us.”

“True, but you didn’t have to…”

“It was no problem Ladybug” he grinned, shaking his head “so, why are you in such a hurry? Hot date tonight?”

He didn’t know why he asked that, and felt like hitting himself with his own baton. He could almost hear Plagg laughing at him. Who asks ‘hot date’ anymore?! Worse… why did he still feel a small pang of jealously about it? It had been years, she might be married for all he knew!

Ladybug laughed “date? No, not for me. I’m meeting up with friends to play the new Mecha Strike game!”

Ladybug had her back to Chat, looking out over the city with a fond smile as her laughter began to die, so she didn’t see him frown.

“… The new Mecha Strike game?”

“Yeah” she looked over her shoulder, noting the confused frown on his face “you know, the fighting game with the little robots?”

“Oh, uh… yeah. Yeah I know it” he nodded, putting a smile on his face, but inside he was still frowning. What where the chances he and Ladybug would have the same plans for their respective evenings? Then again, it wasn’t like he was the only one at the convention today who had purchased the game early… It could just be coincidence…

“I’m looking forward to it” she continued, unaware of his inner turmoil “I haven’t played the new one, but I play the older games with my dad all the time!”

It felt like de-ja-vu, though for the life of him Chat couldn’t remember when he’d heard something similar before. It was like the more he tried to focus on the memory, the more it eluded him, but the sense that he’d heard someone say that before never dimmed. Perhaps he’d overheard someone at the convention saying the same thing? Perhaps he’d heard her at the convention, and never realised it until now?

“Chat, are you okay?” Ladybug realised he hadn’t said anything in a few moments, and saw him standing there with his ears flat in his hair and a scowl on his face. Yet, when she said his name, he looked around with a confused expression like nothing was amiss.

“Huh? Oh, I’m sorry ‘bug… I was just trying to remember something. Can’t quite put my paw on it though.”

“Oh” she raised an eyebrow at his response, curious and a little surprise “well, I’m sure if you stop thinking about it you’ll remember. That’s what usually happens to me anyway.”

“Yeah… maybe.”

She paused at his slow response “are you sure you’re alright Chat?”

“Yes” he nodded, doing his best to give her a cheerful grin “but I really should be going. Plans and all. With friends.”

“Oh, yeah. Me too” she laughed “I’ll see you around Chat?”

“I’ll see you soon ‘bug.”

*****

“Did Chat seem to be acting funny to you when we left earlier?” Mari asked, spying Tikki sitting on the back of the sofa with a cookie and watching the television while Mari dried her hair after the quick shower she’d had once they returned to her apartment.

“It’s Chat Noir” Tikki raised an eyebrow “he always acts funny. I expect Plagg likes his chosen to have a few quirks. I’ve never met a normal Chat Noir.”

“That’s not what I meant” Mari rolled her eyes “I mean… well, one minute we were laughing and the next he just seemed a bit… I don’t know. Just off.”

Tikki didn’t answer, only shrugged and took a big bite from her cookie. Marinette sighed, retreating back into her bedroom to pull on her jeans and the white sweater she’d chosen to wear for the night.

She couldn’t get her mind off Chat. Him turning up to her patrol tonight had been a huge surprise, more so than his apology. She still didn’t think he really needed to apologise to her, but she appreciated the sentiment behind it. Perhaps if he apologised to Rena and Carapace as well then the fox hero would stop being so cold with him. She wouldn’t force him to do that though, and would leave it as his choice to do that if he wished. Still, he said he’d apologised to a lot of people recently, and it had helped him make amends with friends he thought he lost, so she kind of hoped he might try, if only to repair the tension in their team.

She pulled the jumper over her head, spotting the time on her bedside clock when her head popped out of the neck hole and nearly yelped. It was getting close to the time Adrien said he’d meet at her place, and she still wasn’t finished getting ready.

Leaping over the bed to her drawers on the other side in search of a pair of socks, Mari let her mind wander. Like Chat Noir, Adrien also seemed quite proud of himself for apologising to his friends and relived with how it had gone (getting punched in the face by Nino not counting as a bad thing apparently). True, she hadn’t seen him much since the part the other night, but she knew from what he had said earlier at the bakery that Max, Alya and Nino weren’t the only ones to have reached out to him since. Apparently, Kim was trying to get Adrien to come to the opening of a new gym spa in the upcoming New Year, and Chloe and sent him invites to every one of her art gallery’s upcoming events (apparently there were a lot of them).

Marinette frowned as something in her mind seemed to snap, like a rubber band pulled too tightly.

It was a bit odd how Chat and Adrien seemed to be sharing a lot of the same experiences. The more she thought about it, the more she realised. They boy had recently repaired their relationships with their friends through apologising… they both left the city for six years without a word…

Mari poked her head back around the door to look at Tikki again “hey, Tikki, is it… is it just me, or is it weird how similar Adrien and Chat seem to be?”

Tikki turned away from the television to look at her chosen with a surprised expression “what do you mean Marinette?”

“Well… they both left for six years, and Chat mentioned that he’d apologised and made amends with his friends recently which is what Adrien just did…”

“That is odd” Tikki agreed, looking just as puzzled as Marinette felt.

“Do you think…?” Mari bit her lip, shaking her head. No, there was no way Chat Noir and Adrien could be the same person, was there? No. Chat had always seemed so much more carefree and wild than Adrien. Though they did share the same love of terrible jokes…

Tikki seemed to know where her unfinished question had been heading, and tilted her head “do you think they are the same person?”

“I don’t know… maybe? I can’t…” Mari scowled, putting a hand to her head as she tried to think “I can’t remember if I’ve ever seen Adrien and Chat together before. I think I have…”

“Then I guess they can’t be the same person” Tikki shrugged, sighing.

“I…guess…” Marinette didn’t get a chance to say anything else as someone knocked on her door, the loud rhythmic pattern startling her.

“Quick Marinette, its Adrien and you still haven’t got your shoes on!” her Kwami warned, zooming across the apartment to hide in Mari’s purse, resting on the countertop near the door.

Mari cursed, but went to open the door. Tikki was right of course, and Adrien stood on the other side in his long dark wool coat, and a black scarf, bundled up against the cold outside.

“Hi Adrien” she greeted him, smiling “sorry, I just need to get my shoes and I’ll be ready.”

“I’d suggest a coat too” he grinned, stepping inside her apartment when she waved him inside “not that your jumper doesn’t look warm, but it’s pretty cold outside.”

“Har-har funny man” she laughed at him, grabbing a pair of boots from her shoe rack and sitting down to pull them on. “Alya and Nino’s isn’t too far from here but even I’m not crazy enough to forget a coat in December!”

“Good, because the wind out there is freezing today.”

“I know, I almost wish it would just snow already. Usually has by now!”

Adrien waited while she pulled on her boots and coat, grabbing her purse from her kitchen counter, and when she nodded that she was ready they left her apartment together. Alya and Nino lived a few streets away, but the walk wasn’t far from Marinette’s, and they chatted amicably as they made their way over.

“So, are you catching up on all your Christmas orders?” Adrien asked her.

“All finished and ready to post tomorrow” Mari sighed, flexing her fingers “I’m glad, or I might have spent the holidays with a permanent cramp in my fingers from embroidering so much! How’s work going for you?”

“Well, I don’t get much of a break over the season” he shrugged “but I’m making steady work on our project whenever I have the time.”

“Do you still want to send me what you have so far?”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to get your opinion on anything you think should be changed before we actually purchase any property and make a go at opening a whole new store.”

“No problem, you have my email.”

“I look forward to hearing what you have to say about what I’ve prepared so far.”

“Careful, I might start bossing you around” she warned, laughing.

Adrien smirked, “that’s a two-way street, if you get to boss me around, I get to boss you around too!”

He bumped her with his shoulder as they walked side by side, making her stumble just a little, and laughed when she stuck her tongue out at him in response. They laughed together at the silliness of it, cheeks hurting from smiling in addition to the bitter winter wind.

“You’re in a good mood tonight” Mari commented once her laughter died a bit.

“I’m… having a surprisingly good week” he smiled, more to himself than at anything in particular, then added, “plus, I heard some great news earlier…”

“Oh, care to share?”

“Well, Nino and I didn’t just go to the game convention earlier…”

Mari raised an eyebrow, and Adrien grinned.

“Nino may have asked me to go ring shopping with him…”

“Oh” Mari raised her eyebrows, realisation dawning on her after a few more steps “Oh!”

“Yeah!” Adrien looked practically giddy “he’s planning to propose to Alya over Christmas!”

“Argh!” Marinette let out an excited yell, jumping on the spot for a moment while Adrien watched, amused “oh my god I can’t believe he’s finally going to ask her!”

“Yeah, and the ring he picked out for Alya was really beautiful. She’ll love it.”

“I wish I’d seen it, but I guess I’ll see it soon. No way she’ll say no. She’s head over heels for him!”

Adrien chuckled “I hope so, they deserve to be happy together.”

“Yeah, they do” Mari sighed happily. Then after a moment, she added “though this means my gifts for them are going to pale in comparison, I can’t outdo a proposal. Oh well, at least my gift for you will still be pretty great.”

“Huh?” Adrien paused, looking at her with a surprised frown “your gift for… me?”

“Well yeah,” she laughed “unless your planning to pop the question to someone too?”

“Wha- me?” he raised his eyebrows “who would I even ask to marry me?” the question was rhetorical, yet, for some reason, his mind started to picture a diamond ring inset with sapphires that would go perfectly well with a certain set of bluebell eyes…

Marinette shrugged, moving closer to him slightly to avoid being knocked into by another pedestrian, and missing the contact when she moved away again.

“You got me a gift?” Adrien asked her, curious.

“Of course, I got you a gift. It’s Christmas” he raised an eyebrow “Oh, is this like the bakery stuff? I can’t give you a gift because it might be bribery? I thought we were friends now… or is it more inappropriate because we’re partners?”

Adrien frowned, getting a feeling of de-ja-vu, “partners?”

“Yeah, on the project?” Mari wondered if she’d overstepped saying they were partners, so she was surprised when he suddenly grinned at her.

“I like it. Partners.”

Relived, Mari smiled at him.

“Besides, you can’t not give me a gift now you’ve told me you got me one” he smirked, a teasing tone to his voice as they turned onto the street of Nino and Alya’s apartment.

“Hmm” Mari gave him a sideways look, and then shocked him when she suddenly started sprinting down the street. “Beat me there and I’ll give you your Christmas gift!” she called behind her, laughter lost to the wind.

Adrien laughed too, chasing after her on the nearly empty street “you got a head start, not fair Mari!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my god life is busy what the heck
> 
> also my manager has gone off sick with the covid virus. Now all us employees are at risk and getting tested. I don't recommend it, not fun, stay safe out there people.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Adrien sat back in his office chair and sighed, pressing his fingers between his eyes.

“Oh dear” Plagg piped up in a smug tone, coming out of his hiding spot on the shelf across the office “you’ve got that look again. What was wrong with that one?”

Adrien threw his kwami and irritable look, but ignored him otherwise, shuffling through the papers now littering his desk. He’d been interviewing for his replacement all week, and though there were to occasional good applicants, none of them felt right to him. He didn’t know if he was paranoid, but he got the odd sense that a few of them – like the one who had just left his office – were afraid of him. They spent the whole interview looking at him like scared rabbits.

Plagg would not be ignored, however. “I’ve lost count of how many boring interviews I’ve had to sit and listen to,” he said, floating around Adrien’s head “I can’t even sleep. That’s right. They’re so boring, I’m being bored out of sleep. It’s terrible!”

“What do you want, earplugs?” Adrien griped back.

Plagg stuck his tongue out “just hire someone already!”

“None of them feel right. I can’t just hire anybody, it’s an important job, and whoever I hire will basically be in charge of every decision that comes through this office. It needs to be the right person.”

“And everyone you’ve seen so far was not only qualified, but experienced, and more than capable of doing this mind-numbing thing you call a job.”

Adrien rolled his eyes and didn’t answer. Plagg was right, every candidate for the job that had made it as far the interviews was – on paper – more than capable of the job. Adrien just couldn’t get rid of the gut feeling that none of them there the right person though.

“Do you want to know what I think?”

“Not really.”

“Well, I’m gonna tell you anyway. I think you don’t want to hire someone.”

Adrien looked up at Plagg, who was now floating directly in front of him, with a smug grin on his little face “what?”

“Think about it” Plagg folded his arms “longer it takes you to hire someone, the longer you have an excuse to stay in the city with your friends.”

Adrien’s eyes widened for a moment, then he snorted “that’s stupid. If anything, I need to stay in the city until Enenra is gone.”

“Uh-huh,” Plagg didn’t sound like he believed him at all, snickering.

Adrien waved a hand at the kwami, who only floated out of the way laughing, then went back to ignoring him. Truthfully Plagg might have been somewhat right. His desire to leave the city again had certainly waned over the weeks, and he wasn’t stupid enough not to know why.

Firstly, he had to admit, it felt good to be back and useful as Chat Noir. Sure he had never given up the black cat miraculous when he left the city, but wherever he travelled there wasn’t any need for Chat Noir. Sure, the occasional petty crime, a mugging of a thief. Worse… there was no Ladybug. Transforming as Chat Noir all those years, and not having his partner at his side, it felt like part of him was missing. He long ago decided that wasn’t unusual, the cat and ladybug kwami’s where connected after all. It stood to reason their holders might be as well. They were yin-and-yang, good luck and back luck, creation and destruction. You couldn’t have one, without the other, and being apart hurt. He sometimes wondered if it had hurt her as much as it hurt him. When he returned he didn’t know how Ladybug would react, the fact that she accepted him back as her partner meant more than he could describe.

Secondly where his friends. They had been a large part of why he wanted to leave again quickly, not wanting to run into anyone and stir up bad feelings. However, they accepted him, much to his surprise – though it had cost him an extortionate bar tab at the party, not that it mattered much to him. Naturally, a few people had questions about why he left but they easily accepted the explanation that he just needed to get away after his father’s arrest. A few people were still a little more reserved with him than they had been once – Alya for example. At their game night, the previous day the redhead had even pulled him aside, warning him not to hurt her best friend or boyfriend again. It was a brief warning, though from the grip she’d had on his arm and the look in her eye he knew he was under threat of her wrath if he put a toe out of line.

Hurting anyone was the last thing he wanted to do. He’d spent the week after the party accepting every invitation Nino threw at him, not able to remember the last time he’d had quite as much fun. Of course, they both still had work, Adrien during the day, and Nino usually on the nights, so their meets where usually brief lunches or whenever else they had free time. Alya had jokingly complained she was losing her valuable boyfriend time because of him, and had told Nino if he dared skip date night for Adrien then she’d go on their date with Marinette instead. The other girl had only looked perturbed by this, promising a date with her wouldn’t end the same way it might with Nino, but she still expected to be wined and dined.

Marinette… she was a large part of why he suddenly lacked the motivation to leave. He’d tried to build walls around himself, and she’d sent them crumbling down in less than a month. Perhaps over the years he’d forgotten, just how kind and good she was. She was like the sun, and he couldn’t help wanting to be near her any more than he could resist enjoying the warm light coming through his windows right now. Whenever he was with her he couldn’t help smiling, and he wanted to make her smile too. For the first time in a long time, he felt whole again, in a way he’d only ever felt when he was with Ladybug wearing his own mask.

It both confused and scared him. He’d had relationships in the past, but Ladybug had been his first love, a kind of love he’d not felt during with his other lovers. Like he belonged. Now, the feelings for Ladybug had dimmed, and he wasn’t starting to feel that way for someone other than her…

Worse… he couldn’t help comparing Ladybug and Marinette.

It had been playing on his mind every now and then since Ladybug had mentioned her plans to play Mecha Strike. It could just be a coincidence that they had the same plans, but what if it wasn’t?

“Marinette and Ladybug are really similar” he didn’t know why he said it out loud, but he kept his eyes on Plagg – who had been floating near the edge of his desk, stringing the paperclips in his stationary pot into a chain – to see how he reacted.

“Huh?” Plagg wrinkled his face and looked up, confused “ah, thinking about your girlfriend again?”

“She’s not my girlfriend” Adrien wasn’t actually sure if Plagg was referring to Marinette or Ladybug, but he felt his heart sink a little at the lack of reaction from his Kwami. “Don’t you think they’re similar?”

“All humans are similar, be more specific.”

“Well, they’re both kind, honest, brave… stubborn” he chuckled, imagining how both girls would react if they heard him admit that out loud, “I think they’re about the same height, they both used to wear pigtails… and they both have beautiful blue eyes.”

Plagg pretended to retch, until Adrien waved his hand at him to knock it off.

Comparing them out loud, Adrien felt silly. Any number of girls out there could fit that description, just because someone he knew happened to fit it too didn’t mean that she was the one under the Ladybug mask…

“Maybe I’m just being stupid,” he said to Plagg, going back to cleaning up the papers on his desk again “what are the chances she’s been under my nose the whole time anyway? I’m not that lucky.”

Adrien didn’t see Plagg dragging his little paws down his face, floating away to his spot on the shelf across the room so he didn’t blurt out something that would make Tikki angry with him… again. Tikki might live on sugary treats, but she was anything but sweet herself when angered.

Adrien was too busy thinking about Marinette to notice the tiny destructive god had left his side again. Because in the end, no matter what he felt, Adrien knew he had to be careful. Developing a crush on one of his best friends was bad enough, but adding the fact he had only just repaired the friendship between them made him even more cautious. If he pursued her romantically and things didn’t work out, would their friendship be strong enough to survive afterwards? Besides, Marinette may not even feel that way about him. She’d had years to get over her crush on him after all. He wouldn’t want to mess things up by bringing up old feelings and hurt by bringing up his growing feelings. No, he’d have to keep his feelings under control. He could do that. He’d start when she arrived for their meeting after lunch.

A knock on his door startled him.

“Come in!”

Sophia poked her head around the door, her long hair falling over her shoulder, and gave him a bashful smile “sorry sir, I hope I didn’t disturb you, I have your coffee order here?”

“Oh yes, thank you Sophia” he waved her inside.

His petite assistant strode across the room while he got up, putting away the papers from the interview in a drawer near the window. He fully expected her to be gone, or at least leaving, when he turned back around as she usually was. Instead, he was surprised to find her standing near his desk, a newspaper under her arm as she twisted her hands.

“Is something wrong Sophia?”

She jumped when he addressed her, making him frown. “I uh… well… no not really I just…”

Adrien waited patiently.

“There’s uh… there’s an article… in the newspaper about you sir…”

“What?” he frowned, accepting the newspaper she held out to him.

“It’s all ridiculous, of course…” Sophia offered, walking slowly out of the room “but I know you like to keep up with things and I thought you should know…”

She shut the door behind her gently. Adrien was aware of it, but he didn’t look up from the newspaper. It wasn’t a front-page article, of course, in fact, it was a rather small piece put alongside an advertisement for gardening services, but it still made his stomach sink. Magazines and gossip rags were one thing, everyone knew the rumours they started up were not often true, but a lot of people still looked to newspapers as a source of news and not sensationalist garbage. It was – as he expected – another article theorising his possible involvement with his father’s plans back when Hawkmoth was at large, pointing out his return to the city, and then theorising that he could be involved with Enenra’s attacks. It even claimed that his possible desire for revenge on the miraculous holders could be why they were the targets of the attacks.

Adrien read it all, and took a breath. Of course, he was used to things like this by now, but sometimes in his own frustration, he wished he could scream out that he was Chat Noir. That he helped stop his own father, not help him.

“The hell!” Plagg’s voice near his ear made him jump. He hadn’t realised the kwami was reading the article over his shoulder.

“It’s okay Plagg.”

“It is not okay Adrien!” the black cat jabbed a little paw at him, scowling fiercely “printing these lies about you is not okay!”

For a second, Adrien was oddly touched by the kwami’s reaction.

“If empty-headed gossipers run you out of the city again I’ll have to go back to the subpar Camambert’s you’ve been feeding me.”

And like that, his warm feeling for the kwami was replaced with an eye roll. “I could have cheese shipped to you from Paris.”

“You had six years to do that, and you never did. Your promises are empty.”

Plagg went back to the bookshelf, probably sulking about his six years of missed cheeses (though Adrien would point out he always bought him expensive cheese wherever they were, apparently Paris had his favourite) while Adrien flopped back down in his office chair, dropping the newspaper on his desk.

A picture on the front caught his eye. It was a Yokai, Rena Rogue halfway out of its smoky chest with the victim in her hands, while Ladybug had her yoyo wrapped around one of its smoky arms to stop it blocking their escape. He guessed it was from this morning’s battle – he and Carapace hadn’t made it to that fight, but Rena and Ladybug had already taken care of it by the time he’d even heard what was happening. He didn’t know why Carapace wasn’t there, but Adrien had been interviewing for the replacement post and hadn’t seen the news until afterwards. It looked like the girls had taken care of things admirably though, he was happy to see. He’d seen comments on a few news websites he browsed to try and catch up with what had happened and apparently Rena and Ladybug had taken quite a few nasty hits in the fight. Thankfully, Enenra had not shown up to the battle. Adrien hated to imagine what might have happened then.

Adrien’s phone started ringing, snapping him out of his thoughts, and he brought it out of his breast pocket and to his ear without checking who it was.

“Agreste” he answered.

“Adrien?” he recognised Marinette’s voice immediately.

“Marinette” he smiled.

“Yeah” she paused for a moment, and he was able to hear what sounded like a crowd in the background of her call “sorry, I’m not really sure if I’m allowed to use my phone here but I needed to call you. Um… would it be okay if I was late for our meeting this afternoon?”

Adrien frowned. He wanted to ask where she was that she couldn’t use her phone, as well as why she’d be late, but stopped himself. He needed to distance himself, if he was to get over this little crush he was developing. Instead, he found himself nodding – even though she couldn’t see him – and leaning back in his chair. “That’s okay Marinette, I have nothing else scheduled for this afternoon. Do you know how much later you’ll be?”

“I’m not sure um- oh, hang on one second Adrien-“

Adrien waited patiently, but felt his curiosity growing. She’d muffled the phone, but he could hear her talking to someone even though he couldn’t make out what they were saying. After a moment she came back to the phone.

“-I’m sorry about that. I don’t know when they’ll let me go, maybe we should just reschedule for another day, I might be here quite late…”

Adrien sat forward in his chair, concerned now. Marinette wasn’t the type to reschedule, especially something she actually seemed quite excited about – like their freelance project together. The thought that perhaps she’d seen the newspaper article and was second-guessing him crossed his mind briefly, but he pushed the negative thought away. Marinette wasn’t like that. “Is everything okay Marinette?” he asked, frowning as he spoke.

“Yes! Um…well… I’m kind of in the hospital right now…”

“What?!” Adrien felt his eyes widen, sitting up straighter and more alert “are you okay? Stupid question, you’re in a hospital, which one? Does Alya know? Do your parents?”

“Adrien calm down” she chuckled “I’m okay, it’s not that serious.”

“I think ‘I’m in hospital’ means it probably is that serious.”

She clicked her tongue through the phone, though he wasn’t sure if she was amused or annoyed with him. “Really Adrien, I’m fine. Just a bump on my head. I got caught in the metro tunnel that collapsed during the attack this morning, that’s all. They just want to do a few tests, make sure there’s no concussion or anything…”

Adrien knew one of the metro tunnel entrances had collapsed during the attack, that was in the news article he’d read, but he didn’t know anyone had been caught in it. Usually, the metro tunnels were evacuated during attacks, and trains stopped, deemed too risky even with Ladybug’s miraculous cure.

Swallowing his concern and trying to act professional, Adrien suggested: “alright, how about we put off the meeting until after you’re feeling better?”

“No, no” she dismissed “I feel fine, honestly. They’re just being cautious with me. Head injury and all that. I just don’t know how late I’ll get out of here today, but if it’s too late we could reschedule for during the week if it’s not too busy for you?”

“Why don’t I pick you up from the hospital when they let you go?” he suggested, and then winced. Was that too much? Was it weird for him to ask, and not her parents or Alya? He was sure she probably already arranged something with them anyway. The nearest hospital was some way from where Marinette lived, and she didn’t drive. He’d like to think she had enough sense not to walk, but he knew she went jogging in the dark and wondered if she didn’t have a streak of recklessness within her kind heart too.

“Oh,” she sounded surprised “um… I don’t know when they’ll let me go…”

“That’s okay. Just let me know, and I’ll pick you up.”

“Hmm… I suppose we can talk about the project in the car…”

“Only if you’re one hundred per cent okay.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re in a hospital.”

“I’ve been in worse places.”

Adrien wanted to laugh, at least she sounded okay. “Behave for the doctors, and call me when you need to be picked up. Which hospital are you at?”

She told him, but made no promises about behaving for her doctors if they kept poking her sore head, and they ended the call. Adrien put his phone down on the desk gently. There was a lightness in his chest, a feeling which kept the smile on his lips, that had everything to do with talking to Marinette. It contradicted heavily with the thoughts he was having. If Chat Noir – if he – had made it to the fight this morning, would Marinette have been injured?

*****

Marinette didn’t get to leave the hospital until later that evening, when night had all but completely fallen. Adrien didn’t mind, she called him once they told her she was okay to leave after they gave her some painkillers to take, and was waiting outside when he arrived in a sleek black car that looked like it probably cost more than her entire apartment was worth.

Adrien did a double-take when he saw her. He got out of the car in one smooth motion, scowling the entire time, to meet her as she approached him. “I thought you said it was a minor injury?”

“It is” Mari shrugged. There was a bandage wrapped around her bead, holding a thick dressing against the side of her head. “Honestly, it looks worse than it is. It kept bleeding, so they insisted on putting this on.”

“Bleeding?” Adrien shut his eyes for a moment, counting to three, then opened them again “are you sure you’re alright Marinette?”

“Absolutely. No concussion, and a healthy supply of painkillers in this paper bag” she lifted up the white bag for him to see, smiling. At his unamused expression, she let her smile fall, and shrugged “honestly? I feel okay, just really tired and in need of some food and a shower.”

More satisfied with that answer, Adrien nodded, before taking her elbow gently to lead her around to the passenger side where he opened the door for her to take a seat.

“Very gentlemanly” she commented, sounding both amused and tired.

“Anything for an injured princess” he replied smoothly, shutting the door once she was settled. The windows of his car were tinted, so he couldn’t see the fleeting look of surprise on her face. Even if he could he probably wouldn’t have noticed, too busy berating himself internally. Why had he said that?

Adrien slipped into the driver’s seat wordlessly, hoping she wouldn’t comment on his stupid princess quip. It was a habit really. Whenever he’d run into Mari as Chat, that’s what he’d called her. It seemed to both amuse and annoy her whenever Chat said it, in a way that was similar to how Ladybug reacted whenever he called her Bugaboo or My Lady which was probably why he’d done it.

While he fretted, Marinette watched the city go by out of the car window, oblivious to his train of thought. Eventually, she ended the silence by asking “should we talk about the proposal now? I had an idea to bring up with you.”

“Mari, you have a giant bandage stuck to the side of your head, have lost an unknown about of blood, and have god only knows the amount of painkillers in your system. I’m not talking business with you right now, I’m taking you home.”

“But I feel fine!”

“I wish you could hear yourself right now, you sound drunk” Adrien grumbled, stopping for a light.

“I’m fine” she pouted stubbornly.

Adrien made the mistake of glancing at her then, and had to bit his lip not to chuckle. Even all bandaged up she managed to look adorable. He knew she would keep arguing with him, so he offered “how about this, I’ll take you home where you’ll get cleaned up and eat something. If, after that, you can still stay awake and talk then we’ll talk about the project okay?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Good” he nodded. He was willing to bet that once she was full and comfortable she’d want to fall asleep more than she’d want to talk with him.

The rest of the short drive to her apartment was spent with Mari explaining the (in her words) ‘ridiculous, over precautionary’ tests the hospital had put her through. Most of her time there had been spent waiting on test results rather than anything productive, but at least she had managed to get all her orders from her website posted out before she got hit in the head. Adrien just listened patiently, and tried not to laugh when she stumbled with a word or lost her train of thought. He was going to check what painkillers they had given her, they were obviously quite strong.

She needed help getting up the stairs to her apartment, the medication making her a little unsteady on her feet. At first, she’d held onto his elbow, but after she stumbled a few stairs up, Adrien had automatically put an arm around her waist to steady her. He left his hand there, trying to ignore the warm feel of her skin separated from his hand by the cotton of her shirt, and keeping her tucked close to his side as they made their way up the stairs slowly. Neither of them would look at each other, so neither of them saw that the other was blushing furiously.

Slowly, but eventually, they made it to Marinette’s apartment where she was able to open the door without help and let them both in.

Letting go of her waist and clearing his throat, Adrien didn’t look at her as he tried to take charge “right so… let’s get you cleaned up and fed.”

“I think I can do at least one of those by myself” Mari couldn’t resist smirking, especially when Adrien’s head snapped around and he regarded her with a wide-eyed stare. She started laughing, heading for her bathroom “calm down, I can shower alone. There are a few takeaway menus in the kitchen, why don’t you make an order?”

“O-oh, um, right” Adrien swallowed, his voice a slight bit higher than it usually was. He cleared his throat and called out to her again “anything, in particular, you’d like to eat?”

“Umm… Chinese?” she called through the bathroom door.

“Okay!” he shouted back, but wasn’t sure she heard him, since he heard the shower start. Retreating to the relative safety offered by her kitchen, Adrien leaned on one of the countertops and covered his face with his hands for a moment.

When she’d made the comment about the shower he felt his heart drop through his feet. He’d almost replied in kind to the flirtatious comment, if she hadn’t spoken first.

Yes, so far his plan to hide his crush – or stop it growing – was not going to plan.

“Smooth going Romeo” he heard Plagg mutter from his pocket. Adrien didn’t answer, but he did sigh and rub his hands down his face. Maybe it was useless fighting his crush on Marinette? He’d never fought against a crush before, actually, with Ladybug he’d openly thrown himself headfirst into that crush, and he’d never hidden any interest he’d had in a woman since then. Besides, just because she may not feel the same didn’t mean he should make a conscious effort to treat her any differently did it? As long as he was careful… careful…

In the bathroom, Marinette was having a similar conversation with herself in her own head. Yes, her head did feel a little bit fuzzy from the painkillers the hospital gave her (which was a lot better than the throbbing headache she’d had for most of the day) but not fuzzy enough for her to not notice the look on Adrien’s face when she’d teased him. He’s nearly gone cherry red, eyes wide and mouth open. She’d probably made him uncomfortable, she guessed, and promised herself she’d tone it down so as not to do it again.

She turned on the shower and put her purse down on the bathroom countertop. Tikki tumbled out of it almost immediately, zooming up near Mari’s head as she unbandaged the head so she could begin fussing. While in the hospital she hadn’t been able to fret over her chosen as she wanted to.

“Oh, my Marinette…” Tikki sighed as the bandage was removed, revealing a horrible mess of blood-matted hair “I’m so sorry I couldn’t heal you, there was just so much damage from the Yokai…”

“Its fine Tikki” Mari reassured her kwami with a smile, but kept her voice low just in case Adrien could hear them talking even over the noise of the shower.

“But your head…”

“I bet it looks worse than it is” she sighed, but winced when she tilted her head so she could take a look at the mess herself. “I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that head wounds always bleed a lot, even when they’re not that bad.”

“Yes, that’s because your brain is up there” Tikki pointed out, not sounding reassured at all.

“I’ll be faster next time.”

“Speed had nothing to do with it. You where reckless” Tikki grumbled “next time, you should call Chat before you get into a fight.”

“I’m sorry Tikki, I didn’t know it would just be me and Rena” Mari shrugged, not sounding apologetic at all, because truthfully, she had trusted that both Chat Noir and Carapace would turn up without being called. Tikki was probably right though, she should make sure at the start of a fight, considering they knew the stakes if they where caught overpowered and alone. “We have lives outside of the mask, the boys were probably at work and unable to get away. Next time though, I’ll call them.”

“I know you have lives” Tikki sighed, sounding weary “but thank you, please call them next time Marinette… I don’t like it when you're reckless. You get hurt. “

For that, Marinette didn’t have a reply, so she silently nodded and lifted her shirt over her head being very careful of her head. Tikki understood it was the end of the conversation, and floated up to the top shelf in the bathroom corner. There was a vent in the wall up there, a vent system that spread out through the entire building, but Tikki had plenty of time to figure out how to get around Marinette’s apartment unseen whenever she had visitors.

It took longer than she thought it would to clean up, the hot water did wonders on the aches across her body, but getting matted blood from her hair when the water made her head sting was a lot more challenging than she thought it would be. She didn’t know how much time had passed before her hair was clean, but by the time she turned the shower off and stepped out to wrap a towel around herself, the bathroom was fogged up and her fingers had begun to prune.

It also provided her with another problem.

She slapped her hand against her head as she realised, she’d have to leave the bathroom in just her towel to get to her clothes in her bedroom. She’d have to walk past Adrien in just a towel.

Fourteen-year-old-Marinette was screaming in her head somewhere, she was sure of it.

Still, she couldn’t exactly keep standing in the bathroom in just her towel. She’d have to come out eventually. Swallowing, she cracked open the door.

“Uh… Adrien?”

“Yeah?” he answered from somewhere she couldn’t see.

“Erm… can you… can you turn around or just not look for a second?”

“Why?” he sounded suspicious.

“I forgot to bring clothes into the bathroom with me.”

“O-oh. Sure. Shut eyes, uh, my eyes are shut. Go ahead”

She stepped out cautiously, steam rolling out of the bathroom with her, and found him sitting on her couch with Chinese containers spread out on her coffee table with his eyes shut tightly and a blush spreading on his cheeks that she was sure matched the one on hers. Quick as she could, Mari zipped from the bathroom and past him to her bedroom. Once she was behind another closed door she called out “okay, you can look again now. Sorry!”

“I-its fine!”

He sounded uncomfortable. Marinette sighed, her face burning from embarrassment, and hurried to get changed into the first clean set of pyjamas she found (a loose grey shirt and a pair of loose black pants) and twisted her wet hair into a braid before rejoining him in the sitting room.

“I’m sorry” she apologised again “that was all… very awkward.”

“It’s fine Marinette, really” Adrien reassured her as she approached the couch, peering to try and get a look at her head now she had removed the bandage “how’s your head?”

“Much better now I’m clean” she sighed, sitting down on the opposite end of the sofa. She could see him still looking, so she twisted her head around and parted her hair a little so he could see the cut. It was barely half an inch long, and didn’t look very deep.

“Huh, smaller than I was imagining” he commented, leaning slightly closer as he examined it.

“I told you, it looked worse than it actually was. Head wounds just bleed a lot.”

“I suppose. You’ll probably still have one heck of a headache tomorrow though” he sat back as she turned away, waving at the coffee table full of food containers “uh, I didn’t know what you like so I just ordered a few things.”

“Oh, I like pretty much anything. What do I owe?”

“My treat” he held up a hand when she opened her mouth to argue “I insist, so don’t argue.”

They ate from the boxes rather than getting dishes, and Adrien was surprised when she started talking about the information, he’d emailed her about their project. Mostly about his idea for where these possible shops should be located. In the end, they both decided it may be useful to locate them in tourist areas rather than immediately opening in known fashion districts where they could be easily outmuscled by already established boutiques.

Putting down a container of fried rice, Mari couldn’t help joke with him “you know, I don’t think discussing business over Chinese food while in my pyjamas is quite as professional as you wanted us to be a few weeks ago.”

“No, probably not” Adrien chuckled, stabbing a piece of chicken with his fork and popping it until his mouth. He wasn’t complaining though. He doubted she had any idea, but her loose pyjamas where innocently enticing, the wide scoop collar of her pyjama shirt kept falling down over her shoulder and Adrien was fighting with himself considering it was now very obvious to him she hadn’t put on anything underneath the pyjama shirt…

He was going to hell, thinking about his poor injured friend like this, of course.

“Though I suppose if our working partnership and our friendship keep overlapping like this, it won’t be so unprofessional of me to give you a Christmas present… even though you lost the race for it.”

“I didn’t lose, you had a head start” he waved his fork in her direction “and I suppose if you're going to give me my present I should at least think about giving you yours…”

“You got me a present?” she grinned.

“Of course… honestly, I don’t usually celebrate the holidays anymore but… it’s what friends do, right?”

“Right” she tilted her head “you really don’t celebrate?”

Adrien shrugged. He didn’t want to say it out loud, that the reason he didn’t bother much with Christmas or the other holidays anymore was because he had no one to celebrate with. Everyone else spent the holiday with family… and he didn’t have that.

“What about you, what are your plans?” he asked her, deflecting the attention from himself.

“Oh” Mari gave a one-shouldered shrug “normally I have dinner with my parents. Open presents with them. This year though they’ve gone to spend it with my mom’s family in China. My grandparents are getting on in years, I guess they thought they might not have many more Christmases left to spend with them…”

“You didn’t go with them?”

“No, too much to do. But it’s alright, one Christmas alone won’t kill me” she stayed vague, hoping he wouldn’t ask too many questions. Her parents had accepted her excuse that she had too much to do regarding her online orders, the project with Adrien, and the spring line design she’d sold to Agreste Fashions. It wasn’t really a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth. In the end, her biggest reason to stay was her duty as Ladybug. With Enenra lurking she couldn’t just leave the city for a holiday.

“But hey” she turned to him, a sudden idea in her head “if you fancy company on Christmas Day I wouldn’t mind.”

“Uhh…” Adrien paused, surprised by the offer.

“Actually, I know Nino’s family have gone skiing for the holidays… and Alya complains a lot about how crowded her parent's place gets with her extended family all there. Maybe they’d want to celebrate with us too…”

Adrien watched her, his elbow resting on the back of the sofa so he could lean on his hand. She was chewing her lip, and he could practically see the cogs in her mind turning as she thought her idea through. He’d had an odd, but brief, a moment of disappointment when she mentioned inviting their friends but it was probably for the best – he wasn’t so sure he trusted himself with her alone for too long not to say something stupid.

“We could decorate and make a dinner. It’ll be just like a family Christmas!” Mari grinned “we could even see if anyone else wants to come, what do you think? Do you think anyone would want too?”

Adrien couldn’t help smiling back at her “I think it’s worth asking. I wouldn’t mind celebrating with you Marinette.”

If possible, her grin widened for a moment, before she suddenly yawned.

“Tired?” Adrien chuckled, while she looked embarrassedly over the hand she pressed to her mouth. 

“Just a bit…”

“Not surprising” he picked up the box on painkillers the hospital had sent her home with. He’d been reading the information leaflet inside, wanting to make sure it was indeed safe for her to be left alone when he had to leave for the night. If it hadn’t been he’d fully planned to rouse Alya out of bed if he had to, to make sure someone was with Marinette all night. “These things have a sedative side effect. I should leave so you can get some sleep.”

Mari sighed, gathering some of the Chinese containers from the table to take into the kitchen and clean up “thank you, Adrien, for… well, everything. Picking me up, buying dinner…”

“No need to thank me” Adrien gathered the last of the containers, following her into the kitchen “trust me, I’ll sleep better knowing your home safe after getting that gash on your head.”

Mari blushed. She was beginning to think that might be her permanent expression around him. “You’re very sweet Adrien.”

Adrien grinned, pulling his jacket on “I know, it’s a terrible curse isn’t it?”

She shook her head, silently laughing, and followed him to her front door to see him out. “Oh yes a curse, but you seem to be embracing it quite well.”

Adrien was about to reply, opening her front door, but she yawned again and the playful response died on his tongue, quickly replaced with concern again.

She saw the change on his face, and smiled to reassure him. “Really Adrien, thank you.”

She hugged him, though considering she was quite a bit smaller than him she only managed to wrap her arms around his middle with her head resting just under his chin. Adrien stiffed at first, surprised, and not quite sure if he could remember the last time he got hugged like this. After a moment though, he relaxed, and chuckled as he hugged her back.

He couldn’t help thinking about how she fit like a puzzle piece against him, just the right height for him to rest his cheek on her head without it being weird. She used a strawberry shampoo, he could smell it, taking a deep breath. With a sigh, he pressed a brief kiss to her hair and took two steps backwards and out of her apartment. 

“Get some sleep Marinette. Goodnight.”

She gave him a shy smile, leaning on her front door “Goodnight Adrien.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my god I'm so tired. 
> 
> Still no test results back, I was one of the last to be tested. Dear god people by the way, if you've not experienced a test for COVID trust me you don't want to. Stay safe.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

“As much as I think your idea to host Christmas was a great one” Alya frowned, hands on her hips “I think you may have overestimated how much food your kitchen can actually handle.” 

Marinette was standing beside the red head, mirroring the same frown with her hands on her hips too as they surveyed the mountain of food ready to be cooked on her kitchen counter tops. Not one inch of the worktop could be seen beneath the packets and plates that seemed to cover every inch of space. She had to agree, it did look like a daunting task ahead. 

“It isn’t really that much” she pointed out thoughtfully “some things will get cooked together, and we have so many vegetables because people kept suggesting different ways to cook them… plus when I offered I didn’t actually think so many people would want to come!” 

“What’s the final head count by the way?” 

“Well, there’s me, you, Nino and Adrien. Then Sabrina, Chloe and Nathaniel, plus Rose and Juleka, who I think is bringing Luka too.” 

Alya thought for a second, still staring at the mound of food on the counter, then nodded thoughtfully “yeah, okay I think there’s enough here for ten people. Especially if one or two of them will want seconds, like my boyfriend.” 

“Excuse me?” Nino’s voice came from the hallway, though he appeared in the doorway a moment later carrying a box with Adrien behind him, an identical box in his arms too. Nino had dressed for the occasion of course, and was wearing an electric blue knit sweater that sported a funky looking reindeer on the front of it, wearing DJ headphones and sunglasses. “I can’t have Christmas dinner seconds if I want room for these desserts, god, do you know how tempting it was knowing they were in our fridge all night? I have the self-control of a saint!” 

“Nice sweater babe” Alya grinned. 

“Thanks, hey look the nose lights up too” he passed the dessert box to Mari, fumbling with the edge of the jumper until the knitted reindeer’s red nose lit up with LED lights, spreading his arms out proudly. “I think you should design jumpers like this next year Marinette!” 

“Only for you Nino” the young designer laughed, shaking her head. 

The DJ pouted “I got one for Adrien too but he wouldn’t put it on.” 

“Wool itches” Adrien shrugged, holding open the refrigerator door as Mari put away the desert boxes. 

“I didn’t know you had such delicate skin, model boy” Alya raised an eyebrow. 

“Aw leave him alone Alya” Mari said from inside the fridge, standing up again with a grin she added “not everyone is brave enough to wear a terrible Christmas jumper that lights up after all.” 

Adrien’s eyes snapped to hers, seeing the challenge there “are you saying I’m  _ not _ brave enough to wear Nino’s jumper?” 

“Maybe” she smirked. 

“Excuse me,” Nino interjected “but I don’t know if I should be offended you called my jumper ‘terrible’ or flattered you also said I was ‘brave’.” 

“Nino, babe,” Alya rested a hand heavily on his shoulder “it is a terrible jumper.” 

“Babe” he gasped, mock offended, but Alya only shook her head slowly and didn’t retract her comment. “ _ Fine _ . Come on Adrien, let’s go get the rest of the desserts. See if they learn to appreciate us while we’re gone.” 

Nino strode out of the kitchen, leaving Adrien to follow more slowly as the blonde finally broke the eye contact between him and Marinette. Alya rolled her eyes, and turned her attention back to the food on the counter. She cleared a space, pulling a bag of potatoes towards her and began peeling them swiftly. Mari followed by example, grabbing the back of carrots. 

“I hope whatever gift Nino’s gotten me won’t be as terrible as that jumper” the red head joked out loud. 

Marinette raised her eyebrows, but said nothing. When she’d asked Nino a few days ago if he would want to spend Christmas at her apartment with friends, the DJ has excitedly told her he’d like nothing better as he’d been struggling to find restaurant reservations for the holiday. He’d then asked if Marinette wouldn’t mind if he possibly proposed during the holiday. Of course Mari didn’t mind, and had gushed over the ring when he’d showed it to her. On a DJ’s salary, he confessed he’d not quite been able to afford a diamond yet, and had chosen an unconventional silver ring inset with five orange-red fire opals. He suggested that when he could afford it, he’d replace it with a proper diamond ring, but Marinette thought Alya would love it just the way it was. 

Adrien had obviously heard Alya’s joke, and he caught Mari’s eye before he left the room completely and winked at her, grinning, the pair of them sharing the private secret. 

Mari felt her stomach jolt at the wink, his impish grin sending a tingle through her entire body that she enjoyed for only a moment before forcibly shaking it off. What the hell was that? Probably just a lingering leftover reaction to her old crush on him right? 

Though, that really didn’t explain the blush she felt burning her cheeks as she tried to focus on chopping the carrots.

“Must I again remind you that you gave me full verbal permission to hit you if you started falling for Adrien again?” Alya made her jump, pressing down too hard on a damp carrot that promptly shot off the counter top and across the kitchen. 

Sighing, Mari looked away from the escaped carrot at her best friend, who didn’t seem to be having much of a problem keeping the potatoes under control. “What do you mean?” 

“Oh come on Mari, I’m not blind and you’re not stupid” she laughed, shaking her head “every time I see you two you’re flirting. Not that I’m  _ not _ a fan of sexual tension, but dang girl. Plus didn’t he buy you dinner the other night, y’know, the same night he picked you up from the hospital you conveniently forgot to tell the rest of us you were at and stayed to tuck you into bed?” 

Mari frowned “he  _ did not _ stay to tuck me in, he probably only stayed to make sure I didn’t slip in the shower and do way more damage to my head.” 

Alya shrugged “alright fine he didn’t actually tuck you in, but you still could’ve called me or your parents if you needed help… but you called Adrien instead. That means something, is all I’m saying.” 

“I didn’t really mean to call Adrien instead of you, really, I only called because I was supposed to be meeting with him that afternoon. I didn’t know he’d offer to take me home.” 

“An offer you could’ve rejected” Alya gave her a sly look “or maybe you wanted to be nursed back to health by Adrien. I mean I wouldn’t blame you…” 

Mari glared at her, the blush burning her cheeks brighter, and Alya cackled. 

“We’re just friends Alya” she sighed, grabbing another carrot from the bag on the counter “and work partners. I don’t want to become a stuttering, clumsy, mess around him again…” 

“I don’t think we can quite rule of clumsy…” the red head muttered, throwing a glance to the escaped carrot on the floor. 

“I just feel more comfortable around Adrien now, that’s all. I  _ don’t _ have feelings for him. I don’t.  _ Stop looking at me like that _ .” 

Alya had a Cheshire grin stretched across her face, and chuckled “me thinks the lady doth protest too much. But fine. I’ll let you figure it out, I won’t meddle. Yet.” 

“There’s nothing to figure out. We’re just friends, I trust him.” Marinette didn’t know how else to really describe what she felt for Adrien. Sure, did her chest flutter at the idea of seeing him again? Sometime. Did she find herself reminded of his eyes when she saw the grass in the park, or bought that apple for lunch the other day? Maybe. That didn’t mean she had a crush. And even if it did, wouldn’t it be more likely that it was just leftover feelings from years ago? 

“Just friends, riiiiight. Where have I heard that before…?” Alya sighed, preparing a saucepan of water to boil the potatoes in. She shook her head at her thoughts, then asked “fine, if not Adrien, what about you’re other dating prospects? You haven’t been in a real relationship in years and I’m starting wonder if ‘work’ is really the reason why.” 

“Who are you, my mother?” Mari snickered, but didn’t answer the question “actually you can’t be, Maman doesn’t worry about my dating life…” 

“What about Luka? You two used to date didn’t you, and you said he’s coming today with Juleka.” 

“Date is a loose term for Luka and me. It’s hard to date someone when they’re only in the city a few times week… which turns into a few times a month… which turns into a few times a year…” Mari said dryly, knowing Alya was already aware of why she and Luka had broken up a few years ago. True, Marinette had rejected Luka when he’d first confessed his feelings while they were still in school. It wasn’t until the reconnected a year or so after graduating that they began to date. Unfortunately after six months Luka’s music career really took off, and he began playing more and more locations which eventually turned into touring as the band rose to success. It had been an amicable split, both of them deciding it was for the best, despite still having feeling for one another. Luka had wanted her to tour with him, but she couldn’t. Mari worked better with her own space to work on her designs, and she couldn’t imagine having much success with that if they kept switching hotels and locations. Besides, she as Ladybug, and she needed to stay in Paris. Especially since Chat had already left. She didn’t begrudge Luka for following his career, even though she suspected that if she’d asked him to stay he would have. Sure, she’d been sad it hadn’t worked out… but strangely, she wasn’t heartbroken. She knew it was odd, but it had felt to her that she always knew she wasn’t destined to be with Luka forever. 

“You were together for six months before all the travelling started, dating in the correct term” Alya pointed out “so you don’t even consider rekindling things?” 

“With Luka?” Mari chuckled “no. I can’t explain it, because I was happy when I was dating him, but I think I just… knew, that we wouldn’t last.” 

“He wasn’t ‘ _ the one’ _ ” Alya nodded, pulling a different bag of vegetable closer to her so she could begin preparing those too. 

“Yeah. ‘The one’, soulmates, whatever you want to call it. Luka wasn’t it for me.” 

“And you’ve had no other prospective ‘the one’s’?” Alya asked curiously. She knew Mari had been on a few dates since the breakup with Luka, but they never seemed to get past the third of fourth date before Mari decides to end things. In the past Alya just thought Marinette was too focused on her work to date, since that was the excuse she often gave whenever the red head asked. Now she wondered if it had more to do with this ‘the one’ or ‘soulmate’ thing she’d mentioned. 

Mari sighed and considered the question. All her past dates had felt very lacklustre, for lack of a better description. She always gave the benefit of the doubt, she always tried with the men she was attracted to, but nothing ever felt quite right. Was it a little much to ask for some thrill? Dinner dates, and movie dates, where fine and fun but there was a part of her that craved something a little more… 

She’d tried taking the last guy she’d dated to a theme park, after he bragged about wanting to feel a rush after she’d confessed to him what she was looking for, but he had vomited after the smallest rollercoaster. 

It wasn’t that she didn’t want romance. She just wanted to be thrilled too. 

There was only one guy she could say had ever thrilled her and bought her dinner, and that was Chat Noir. Of course that was years ago, before he left, when he’d still called her by nicknames and brought restaurant take away on their patrols to eat after they raced across rooftops and climbed to the top of the Eifel tower together. An unfair advantage he had over the everyday man on the streets of Paris. 

Of course, that wasn’t a date, much as Chat would have liked to argue otherwise when they were just fifteen year olds. Nowadays, her relationship with her partner had changed. 

Ever since their talk, Chat had been showing up on the nights when Ladybug would usually patrol alone same as he had done six years ago. She said nothing about it, enjoying his company, but spending more time with her partner had proven to her how much he had changed over the years they were apart. In the past Chat had always been goofy, barely taking anything seriously and always quick with a joke. His wit hadn’t changed, but there was a new serious edge to him she noticed. He didn’t call her Bugaboo or My Lady anymore, she was surprised to find she missed the nicknames. Actually, he didn’t flirt with her at all, though she did sometimes catch him watching her out of the corner of her eye but he always looked away when she tried to catch him doing it. Six years was a long time to be apart, she supposed. Maybe he was musing about how she had changed, just like she thought about him? The change in their dynamic wasn’t so surprising, in fact she wouldn’t have been surprised if Chat had moved on the crush he’d had on Ladybug in that time. Maybe had had a family now? He’d never mentioned anything, but she wondered… 

“Hello, earth to Marinette, where’s your head gone?” Alya waved a hang in front of Mari’s eyes, bringing her attention back to the conversation. 

“Huh?” 

“Girl” Alya snickered “I asked if you’ve any dating prospects and you completely zoned out with a huge frown on your face! I didn’t know the dating scene was that tough on you.” 

Mari shrugged, a little embarrassed “I guess I’m just looking for something specific and I can’t find anyone who fits the bill.” 

“Well, I believe there’s someone out there for everyone! Plus you are an absolutely amazing person Mari, anyone would be lucky to be with you” the red head said affectionately, then added after a brief pause “and anyone who doesn’t think so will feel my wrath.” 

A chuckle announced that the boys had returned again, again carrying desert boxes. “Who’s feeling you’re wrath now babe?” Nino asked, pausing to kiss his girlfriend’s cheek as he went to pass Mari the third desert box. 

“Marinette’s prospective dates” Alya grinned, meeting Adrien’s eyes when she said it and watching as the ex-model’s eyes widened, then frowned a little. His focus didn’t stay on the subtle threat too long though. 

“You changed into the jumper!” Mari noticed immediately, taking the fourth and final cake box from him. 

“Wait is that a turkey?” Alya frowned, glancing at the jumper.

“Read it” Nino smirked. 

Adrien sighed, pulling at the hems of the jumper so the girls could get a clearer view. It was a red knit jumper, almost as bright in colour as Nino’s blue one, with green cuffs. Sure enough, on the front of the jumper was a roasted turkey, which was innocent enough if you didn’t account for the fact the roast turkey was wearing a bra and panties, and the white lettering underneath the declared ‘IM A BREAST MAN’. 

Marinette slapped a hand over her mouth to try and stifle the giggles, glancing up and the blush on Adrien’s cheeks as he refused to meet anyone’s gaze. On the other hand, Alya’s Cheshire cat grin was returning as she nodded slowly “nice, I approve. I can’t wait for Chloe to see this.” 

“Sod Chloe, I already posted a picture of him on my Instagram” Nino snickered “kind of hope it goes viral and his old man see’s it to be honest.” 

Adrien looked up, catching Nino’s eye and imagining exactly how his father might react to the jumper. He immediately felt his stomach turn over and a wave of nausea washed over him, a leftover response from his youth, before reminding himself that his father’s opinion did not matter after what he’d done. He smiled slowly, imagining the look of cold distaste that Gabriel would’ve shown for the jumper, and suddenly decided it wasn’t so bad to be wearing it. 

“I still think wool is itchy, but I can at least appreciate the excellent pun” Adrien snickered.

“I thought it might  _ sleigh _ you” Nino said, then slapped a hand against his head “no, dude, your puns are rubbing off on me!” 

Adrien suddenly broke into a shit-eating grin, staring right at the reindeer on Nino’s jumper he replied “oh  _ deer _ .” 

Alya rolled her eyes, while Nino sighed in defeat. Marinette giggled, and said “we should have known getting you two together at Christmas would be  _ snow _ good!” 

“Mari, not you too!” Alya slapped both her hands to her cheeks, trying to sound exasperated through her grin as the other three fell about giggling around the kitchen.

“Oh lighten up Alya, have your _ -elf _ a merry Christmas!” Adrien tried, giving the red head a hopeful grin. 

Instead, she turned and held out the blunt vegetable peeler in threat “I’ll have a merry Christmas once everything is ready for dinner. Now, why don’t you and Nino start setting up the table ready for when everyone arrives?” 

Adrien raised his hands in defeat, though the smile never quite left his face, and nodded to Nino that they should probably do as she asked. Nino wouldn’t argue either, and retrieved the red tablecloth that had been left out ready, while Adrien grabbed the stack of plates. 

“And don’t drop anything!” Alya called after them, turning back to Marinette and muttering under her breath for only the other girl to hear “or  _ yule _ be sorry!” 

*****

Despite Alya’s worry they had too much food to prepare in time for dinner, everything went quite smoothly and everything was ready on time. Thankfully, because all of the guests had arrived on time and Chloe as immediately put in a sour mood by Adrien’s jumper – which she claimed was a crime against fashion, and Marinette didn’t entirely disagree but then again wasn’t that the point of a bad Christmas jumper? Nathaniel did manage to pull her out of her mood eventually, though no one knew (or really, wanted to know) how since it had involved him whispering something in her ear.

Luka indeed accompanied Julkea and Rose, and spent a bit of time waiting for dinner by catching up with Adrien. They swapped their travel stories, considering both of them had travelled for very different work, and discussed music with Nino when Alya finally released him from the kitchen. Juleka had brought her camera, and was taking pictures of everyone, getting a good one of the three guys together.

Marinette helped Rose put the gifts they had brought with them under the tree in her sitting room. When they’d realised how many people where actually going to attend the Christmas dinner they’d agreed to swap only one gift each, since this meant no one was left out and everyone was getting one gift in return. 

They sat down to eat dinner first (where cracker jokes where told, Chloe was forced to wear one of the paper party hats, and Adrien was offered a slice of turkey breast several times), deciding to open gifts when deserts where being served. 

Crammed full of food and cheeks hurting from their laughter, it seemed like the best time when Nino stood up waiting a moment until attention was on him as the only person in the room standing from the table. 

Realising it was the moment, Mari sat up straighter, grabbing the arm of Adrien beside her in such a tight grip he almost winced – almost, but he didn’t take his eyes off their friends either. 

“Er… hi, everybody” Nino started nervously, looking around the table, swallowing he continued “I just… there’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a while now and, well, I can’t see a better time than this. And frankly, I don’t want to wait any longer. Alya…” 

Alya had already been listening to him with raised eyebrows, and looked up in surprise when he said her name, her mouth falling open into a large ‘O’ when Nino dropped to one knee in front of her. 

“Alya, I’ve spent nearly a whole decade of my life with you. We started off as just friends, and then became something more… being locked in a zoo cage will do that to you, but I can’t think of anyone I’d have rather been locked in a cage with that day than you. Since we’ve been together, I’ve never felt alone in my life. Not once, and I have you to thank for that. You’re there, no matter how badly I mess up, and when it’s a good day – god- you’re smile just makes it ten times better to me. You’ve made me feel more complete, more alive, more everything… and babe, really, I hope you feel the same because otherwise I’m going to feel pretty foolish right now… so, because I’ve pretty much forgotten the rest of my extremely heartfelt, emotional, speech because I didn’t think having this many people watching would be so awkward… Alya Cessaire… will you marry me?” 

The silence that followed was palpable, suffocating, and only broken when Alya – who had been staring with wide eyes full of tears as Nino spoke – suddenly let out a sob and threw herself out of her chair, wrapping her arms around a very shocked Nino’s neck as she clung to him. “Yes, yes I’ll marry you. Did you even need to ask!” 

“Uh, yeah… I mean that’s how people get engaged babe, when you ask them to marry you” Nino grinned while he explained, rubbing her back. No one really heard it though, as the moment Alya said ‘yes’ the table had erupted into cheering and chatter. 

Mari shook Adrien’s arm a little, turning to face him with a huge grin and finding him already watching her with a similar expression. Their gaze met, softening a little. “Can you believe he finally did it?” Mari asked, sighing. She hadn’t heard Nino’s proposal speech beforehand, and hearing out loud how he felt about her best friend, she found herself wondering if she’d ever have someone feeling that way about her? 

Adrien smiled in agreement, his eyes wavering from hers when he noticed the paper hat on her head beginning to slip. Without thinking he reached out to adjust it, using his fingertips to remove a bit of stray hair that got caught in it too, not realising what he had done until he noticed her eyes widening. 

His eyes widened too, fully expecting her to tell him to knock it off. “I, uh…” he stumbled over his words “uh, I… I thought it might graze that cut on your head…” 

“Oh” Marinette raised an eyebrow, not quite sure if she believed him. Besides, she’d been wearing the paper hat all afternoon and it hadn’t bothered the cut on her head at all… 

“Hey, Adrien” Nino called across the table, snapping the two from the moment and drawing their attention to the newly engaged couple – who were still on the floor by the table, Alya in Nino’s lap. Adrien raised an eyebrow in question, when Nino grinned, pointing at the bra-wearing turkey on his jumper and asked “do you want to be my  _ breast-man _ ?” 

“ _ Ohmygod _ ” Alya tilted her head back, groaning “that was terrible. Can I change my mind, I don’t think I want to get married and stuck with these puns forever.” 

“Nah, you lost the receipt a long time ago. I’m non-refundable babe.” 

“Dammit” Alya looked up, meeting Marinette’s eyes “save yourself Marinette, marry into a better sense of humour.” 

“You just need to look on the  _ bride _ -side of things Alya” Mari winked. Beside her Adrien snickered, grinning widely. Alya groaned dramatically.

“Oh” Nino remembered something, calling out so everyone could hear him “to celebrate this much-awaited engagement by the way I’m inviting everyone to the opening of my new permanent DJ’ing gig at club Navire when it opens on New Year’s eve!” 

There was another small wave of cheers from the table, a discussion braking out about the much awaiting new club that Nino had been keeping a secret from everyone – including Alya. Eventually though, Chloe insisted that everyone else get a turn sharing their gifts, though she grouched nothing was going to top a proposal, so they cleared away the plates and retrieved the gifts from under the tree. 

Marinette suddenly felt shy, handing Adrien the slim box with the gift she’d made for him. When she’d had the idea she’d thought it was good, but, maybe it was a little on the nose? Not that she could take it away now, watching as she lifted the box and stared at the folded fabric inside. He realised what it was after a second, lifting it out gently as though he as afraid it might break. 

“A new scarf…” he mumbled, letting it run through his fingers. It was a very soft wool, cashmere if he wasn’t mistaken, and knitted in two different shades of green. 

“Yeah” Mari rubbed her neck “I uh… kind of noticed your lack of one last time I ran into you in the middle of the night. The idea to make you a new one kind of stuck.” 

Adrien blinked and looked up at her “you know… I know it was you that made my old scarf. The blue one, do you remember it?” 

“I, uh… what?” of course she remembered it. He’d loved that scarf, because he thought it was from his father. How did he know she made it? 

“A few years ago I was going through a box of stuff, and found the scarf. I’d forgotten about it, but when I left Paris It was one of the few things I took with me. I don’t know why I didn’t notice before…” Adrien ran his hand across the bottom of the scarf until he felt it, embroidered into the wool in green thread that blended in with the rest of the scarf just like she had done with the blue one “… a secret signature” he smiled, lifting the hem with the signature so that she was aware of what he meant. 

Realisation dawned on her, and she blushed “ah… so that’s how you found out it was me?” 

“Yeah” he nodded “and… I’m guessing my dad didn’t commission you to make it, did he?” 

“Ah… no. Truthfully I meant to give it to you as a birthday present, but as usual I totally chickened out. I forgot to add a note, I –uh- asked someone to put one on for me. I don’t know how it ended up mixed with whatever your dad gave you.” 

Adrien’s expression fell and he looked back down at the scarf “my dad didn’t get me anything, he just used yours and said it was from him. I’m sorry, I should have been thanking you for that gift.” 

“It doesn’t matter Adrien” Marinette shrugged “it made you happy, that’s all I wanted. Still want.” 

Looking up at her again, Adrien saw nothing but sincerity in her expression, and shook his head in amazement. “You’re too good Marinette, really.” 

“Alya keeps saying so, I don’t think it’s a bad thing.” 

“It’s not, I’m just not sure anyone deserves you” he told her, wrapping the new scarf around his neck not caring that it clashed horribly with his terrible Christmas jumper “but I’ll tell you now, I love this scarf more than the old one.” 

Marinette blushed, looking away, so Adrien placed the small box holding her gift in her hands while she wasn’t looking. Mari was surprised when she felt take a loose hold of her wrist, turning over her hand in her lap and placing a small box there. For a moment she thought it was a ring box, her heart racing rapidly, but pushed that thought aside as foolish. It was probably just because of Alya and Nino’s engagement that the thought even occurred to her at all. 

She lifted the lid of the small box, and gasped. Nestled on soft fabric, was a hair pin no bigger than her finger, silver, with a dried blue flower. 

“I… thought it matched your eyes…” it was Adrien’s turn to feel awkward, glancing away and running a hand through his hair. Around the rest of the room everyone else was examining gifts too, oblivious to his embarrassment thankfully. 

“I love it” Mari breathed, picking the hair pin up delicately so she could see it in the light “where did you even get something like this? It’s so beautiful!” 

Adrien shrugged, trying not to blush as she gazed at the little hair pin. “I have a friend here in the city who preserves flowers in glycerine like this for bridal bouquets, and has been experimenting with ways to incorporate the preserved flowers into other items – like hair clips. I asked him if he had anything you’d like, honestly, he made me tell him everything I knew about you before he suggested Forget-Me-Not’s…” 

“And you agreed because my eyes are also blue?” Mari laughed, shaking her head “I love my gift Adrien, thank you.” She slid the hairclip carefully into her hair, just above her ear, on the left side to avoid the still-healing cut on her head. Adrien smiled softly.

“It suits you Marinette” Luka commented, his voice breaking the spell the two where under. Mari looked around, finding the blue haired musician watching her with a gentle expression, and smiled back. 

“Thanks Luka. What did you get for Christmas?” she asked, striking up a conversation. Rose had gotten Luka a set of personally designed guitar picks, which Marinette went over to take a better look at them. Adrien didn’t get a chance, his attention taken by Chloe when she took the seat beside him and insisted on talking about the upcoming spring line and how she thought it would be perfect to try and arrange for the official unveiling to take place at her art gallery. Adrien was only half listening to her, not particularly wanting to discuss work on what was for once turning out to be a good holiday for him, he was eventually rescued by Juleka and her camera when she asked to take a picture of them together, and then by Nathaniel who asked if he still liked all the anime he’d been into as a teen (the answer was yes, of course). 

Over the course of the afternoon drinks, more food, and good cheer was shared among the group. They played a game of charades that got extremely competitive, a Chloe ended up declaring herself the winner by default when no one could figure out what song she was trying to mime. Any effort to explain to her that’s not how the game worked fell on deaf ears. By nightfall people were beginning to relax a bit, splitting into groups for quieter chats or watching one of the Christmas movies being aired on the TV. 

“Ah, ah – Mistletoe, you have to kiss!” Alya declared for the umpteenth time. She’s been watching the hallway doorway keenly, where she’d hung the offending plant just after dinner, and kept catching people out with it. So far she’d caught Nathaniel and Chloe twice, Chloe and Sabrina, Rose and herself and Nino and Nathaniel. 

Adrien looked up to see who the unfortunate victim of the seasonal prank was this time, and felt his stomach turn unsettlingly when he saw Marinette stand up on her toes and press a brief kiss to the corner of Luka’s mouth, the musician smiling softly, unable to take his eyes from her as she disappeared into the kitchen. 

Sitting back in his chair, Adrien frowned. He didn’t get much chance to dwell on why seeing Mari kiss anyone else had left such a nasty feeling in his chest though. 

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it.” 

He looked up, having forgotten Juleka was sat beside him. He remembered her being a quiet girl when they were in school, and that hadn’t changed much in his recent interactions with her, but there was a new confidence in her when she did speak. She spoke with that confidence now, though he wasn’t sure what she was trying to tell him, which must have shown on his expression because she continued to talk. 

“My brother and Marinette” she said, lowering her voice so only he could hear her. 

“Wha- uh, I’m not worried…” Adrien protested in a whisper, trying not to draw attention to himself, and feeling his face heat up.

Juleka gave him the side-eye and didn’t look like she believed him one bit. She shrugged “they dated a few years ago, but Luka’s career took off and they broke up. He wanted Marinette to go on tour with him but she wouldn’t…” 

“Oh?” Adrien tried not to sound so interested. Why was she telling him any of this anyway? 

“Yeah, honestly, Luka still has a bit of a crush on her but I don’t believe Mari feels the same way…” she said it absentmindedly, flicking through the photographs she’d been taking on her camera all day. 

“Yeah?” he raised an eyebrow, just as Juleka titled her camera, showing him the photo on the screen. 

It was a photo from during dinner, during Nino’s proposal to Alya. Frozen in time, shortly before his hand had developed a mind of its own and touched Marinette’s hair, was a photograph of him and her staring at each other. Marinette was still holding onto his arm, which she’d grabbed in her excitement, but both their expressions had turned soft as they looked at each other, faint blushes on their cheeks, eyes tender. 

“Yeah” Juleka hummed “I’d say her heart is elsewhere, personally. Always has been really.” 

Adrien listened to her, staring at the picture for a moment longer, then shook his head. “I don’t think a happy picture proves anything… we’re just happy for Alya and Nino… besides, Marinette’s had a long time to get over her feelings for me…” 

“Maybe” Juleka shrugged, turning her camera away again.

Beside her though, Adrien was thinking. He outwardly dismissed the photo as well as Juleka’s hints that Marinette may have any lingering feelings for him, but his mind was racing. What if the quiet girl was right? What if Marinette did feel something for him still? Would he do anything about it? Should he do anything about it? He wasn’t even totally sure how he felt himself, so really, he shouldn’t even be thinking about this should he? 

“Adrien?” 

He looked up, startled, to find the object of his thoughts standing in front of him with an amused grin on her face. Looking around the room to find people staring at him, he realised she’d obviously asked him a question but he’d been too lost in his thoughts to notice. He gave Marinette a sheepish look “sorry, what?” 

“I asked if you’d like to ‘guess who’?” she laughed, nodding around the room where he realised some of his friends were wearing post-it notes on their foreheads with names of celebrities or characters written on them.

“Oh, um, sure… but I’ve never played?” 

“That’s fine” Mari nodded, taking the seat beside him as she wrote something on a post-it note and reached out to gently stick it to his head where he couldn’t see what she’d written but the rest of the room could. “I’ll teach you, okay?” 

Adrien couldn’t help but smile back “okay!” 

No matter what he felt, he never wanted to lose his friends again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am alive  
> (probably a genuine worry these days but yeah I'm okay. I LOOK like the living dead but I'm just tired. Promise) 
> 
> So yeah, work has us run off our feet not knowing what the hell our government is trying to do right now but I think hospital staff should be allowed a bit of extra holiday time after corona is over... Just to catch up on lost sleep!! (of course it won't happen, because we'll be trying to catch up with normal clinics for at least three years after this according to the math...)
> 
> But yay new chapter. I apologise for how long it took but I've only been able to work on it here and there. I also apologise for any grammar mistakes because I'm awful when I'm tired. 
> 
> A wholesome chapter... About Christmas. In June.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Adrien hummed lightly to himself in the elevator ride up to his office, patting his leg in time with the made-up melody. In his pocket Plagg wasn’t able to sleep from the constant noise his chosen kept making, and though he was irritated by that (as any cat would be) he didn’t say a word. He’d never admit it, but Plagg could remember the last time he had seen his chosen quite this happy, and he was glad Adrien had found something to be happy about – of course, if they had returned the Paris years ago when Plagg suggested it this might have happened sooner… but he didn’t need to bring that up… yet.

The humming didn’t stop as they arrived on the right floor and he stepped off the elevator, his assistant Sophia looked up as she heard him approach, her eyebrows raised when she saw Adrien was the source of the merry tune.

“Sir…” Sophia greeted, her voice wavering slightly.

“Good morning Sophia. How was your Christmas?”

“I-it was good. Uh, sir…” Sophia shifted uncomfortably “um… Mr Caron is waiting for you in your office.”

Adrien felt his expression fall, the tune he had been humming dying off in his chest, he even felt Plagg freeze in his pocket at the mention of Mr Caron’s name. Scowling now, Adrien nodded to Sophia in thanks, “I appreciate the warning.

Stepping into his office Adrien saw that Mr Caron was indeed already seating in the chair opposite his desk. The man had the manners to stand when Adrien entered, but neither of them said anything while Adrien shut the door of his office and removed his jacket. Plagg made a discreet rush out of the pocket he was hiding in and into the bookshelf as Adrien passed it, throwing his chosen a grim look that Adrien returned.

“Mr Agreste, good morning” Mr Caron finally spoke once Adrien turned to him, walking towards the desk.

“It _was_ a good morning,” Adrien remarked to the lawyer, taking a seat at his desk “no offence meant against your person Mr Caron, but I was frankly hoping we’d never need to meet again. I made my stand on matters quite clear.”

Mr Caron was a short man, at least compared with Adrien, and had the overall appearance of someone who would throw his mother under a bus if it meant he’d get what he wanted. He smiled widely at Adrien, despite what he’d said and the harsh tone he’d used, and shrugged “you and I both know your father is a stubborn man, a trait I’d dare say you get from him.”

Adrien glared but didn’t respond. As much as he disliked being compared to Gabriel in any way, he couldn’t say he was wrong.

Sitting back in his seat, Mr Caron regarded the younger Agreste before announcing “your father wishes to speak with you.”

“No.”

“He was quite insistent.”

“No.”

“Mr Agreste” Mr Caron gave an exasperated sigh, almost rolling his eyes “I understand that you have no desire to be in contact with your father. In fact, you’ve made a commendable effort to distance yourself from him as much as possible, which is understandable. You’ve denied him for six years and he’s never insisted like this to see you, it is my opinion that you should at least consider it.”

“No.”

Adrien didn’t need to consider it. He didn’t want to see his father. The last time he’d seen him was when he was wearing a mask and he had to watch his father be taken away in handcuffs. He’d left Paris, he’d never gone to any of the trials, never even watched them on television even though they were broadcast frequently. Any news he had about his father’s case had come from Mr Caron or his aunt.

He just couldn’t do it. How could he look into the eyes of the man who had, both knowingly and unknowingly, put his own son in so much danger? The man who had made monsters of so many of his school friends. The man who endangered his partner, Ladybug, and forced Chat to take the blows that would save her? The man who was supposed to be his father…

Mr Caron shrugged, like he had known this would be Adrien’s answer, and stood. He brushed invisible dust from his suit jacket, not looking as he asked: “very well, but he did request I give you a message.”

That made Adrien frown. His father had never given Caron a message to give, not once in six years.

“He said he wanted to ‘talk about the shadow that haunts you’. I assume you’d know what he meant. Good day to you, Mr Agreste.”

Mr Caron left without looking back, the office door shutting gently behind him, leaving Adrien frowning at his desk. The shadow that haunts him? What did that mean?

“You okay kid?” Plagg poked his head out from behind a bookend.

“Yeah…”

The god of destruction cocked his head to the side as he looked at his chosen, who was very obviously lying, and the troubled expression on his face. He cursed Gabriel again in his head for once again sucking the small joy Adrien had felt that morning from him like a black hole, then floated over to land on Adrien’s desk.

Adrien didn’t notice. He was too busy thinking over the message in his head. His father never tried to contact him, besides requesting he visit him through his lawyer, and that was the first message he decided to send? He knew his father was never one to say things plainly, he could probably count on one hand the number of times he’d ever heard him say he loved him out loud, but the cryptic message only infuriated him more right now. It had been six years, and after everything that happened, that was the only thing he could say?

“Forget about it Adrien” Plagg could practically see the cogs churning in Adrien’s head, so he floated up and swatted him on his nose, making his chosen blink and clearing the frown off his face.

“What do you think he means Plagg?” he surprised himself by asking.

The kwami shrugged “probably nothing. Probably just trying to lure you into talking to him. Why do you care?”

“It’s the first message he’s never tried to send me…” Adrien leaned back, his seat creaking.

“Doesn’t mean you have to talk to him if you don’t want to. You don’t owe him anything, Adrien.”

Adrien thought hard about it. What shadow could be haunting him? Perhaps Gabriel wanted to talk about his reign as Hawkmoth? That would certainly count as a shadow that haunted him…

But… what if he was being more literal than that?

“What… Plagg, what if he meant Enenra?”

“Huh?” his kwami had been doing summersaults in the air while they spoke, but came to an abrupt halt at the question “why on earth would you think that?”

“Enenra’s shadow Yokai. They’re _literally_ shadows.”

It went unspoken between them both that there was a chance Gabriel knew Adrien was Chat Noir.

It was a stupid mistake on Adrien’s part, though Plagg had not held it against him, when they had unmasked Hawkmoth and he’d seen who it was… Chat Noir might have slipped up and called Gabriel ‘father’. He didn’t even realise what he’d said until it was too late, though in his defence they were stuck in the chaos caused by the last Akuma, a building falling down around their ears. Thankfully Ladybug hadn’t been in earshot, no Chat had been sure to check his lady was someplace safe from the falling building, but seeing his last parent nearly squashed to death had made him lose his composure (which had at that point been holding on by a thread) and he had made the mistake while tackling Gabriel out of the way. He’d never made any reaction as though he’d heard him, and he’d obviously never spoken about it or the whole city would know who Chat Noir was by now, so Adrien never had been sure…

He and Plagg looked at each other, neither particularly happy about the situation.

“I hate to say it, but the only way you’re gonna find out is if you talk to him,” Plagg shrugged, “which is what he wants.”

“I know” Adrien sighed. He had no doubts that his father knew that too.

“Whatever. You don’t have to though” the cat god shrugged, apparently not caring much what Adrien decided to do.

His nonchalance was easy for Adrien to ignore, knowing Plagg would support either decision he made in his own apathetic kind of way. Now that the idea was in his head, he felt in his gut that his father wanted to talk to him about Enenra, and he wondered if Enenra and Gabriel had been in contact with one another. Had she had some kind of communication with the former Hawkmoth before she started terrorizing the city?

Truth be told, he almost dared to hope that his father was able to help them with their new enemy. Enenra was dangerous, after the two times she’d gone after Ladybug he held no illusions about her. If she had to kill them for their miraculous then she would, without question.

However, going to see his father might not help the magazines that continue to slander his name. He could imagine the kind of headlines if anyone caught him visiting, especially since the new attacks and brought a small amount of attention back to them. He could imagine a few of his hard-won business partnerships may be at risk if they thought he had anything to do with his father’s crimes…

And yet, he knew his decision was an easy one when he remembered how Ladybug had spoken when she warned them about Enenra, the look in her eyes as she rubbed her chest at the memory of their previous encounter. She hid it well, perhaps too well, but despite the years apart he was still able to recognise that look in her eyes. She was afraid.

Enenra was a threat he was willing to risk his reputation to defeat.

Adrien leaned forward, picking up the phone and pressing the button that would put him through to Sophia outside the office.

“Sir?” she answered after a moment.

“Sophia, please cancel anything on my schedule for this afternoon. An emergency has come up.”

****

Adrien had never been to a prison before, but as he was taken to the room where he would be reunited with his father, he couldn’t help but think that it was just as dull and dreary has he’d ever imagined it to be. 

His palms were sweating, and he kept his hands stuffed in his jeans pocket to try and hide that fact. He’d been rather calm about his decision to finally see his father this morning, all the way to the prison in fact - who had surprisingly been more than accommodating about the impromptu visit – but when he was outside the fact he was about to see his father had hit him full force. He felt sick, his stomach unable to settle even though he’d not eaten anything all day, but he pushed through the feeling.

He’d had enough time to go home and change, donning a pair of jeans and his dark hoodie that he’d worn to the party Marinette had invited him too. Thinking about Marinette calmed his nerves a little. He knew if he had called and told her where he was going today that there as a good chance she would have offered to come with him, would have known before he did how nervous he would be. She was just like that, kind, and able to think ahead. He would never ask her though, wouldn’t ask anyone.

Adrien was led to a small square room, that boasted no furniture besides a table and two chairs, one of which already held the elder Agreste.

In six years Gabriel had not changed much. He was still a thin tall man, sitting with a straight back, his head high, and expression that looked almost bored even as he watched Adrien enter. The only changes visible where the new lines on his face that spoke of his advancing age, and his grey hair was longer, and no longer perfectly styled, though he had slicked it back from his face. Adrien didn’t take his eyes off father as he dropped into the seat opposite, with the kind of carefree inelegance he knew Gabriel hated.

“Adrien” Gabriel breathed his name, an almost-smile ghosting his lips “its… good to see you again, son.”

Adrien said nothing, his tongue felt too thick to move it, so he nodded instead.

“I…” his father removed his glasses, cleaning them on the edge of the orange jumpsuit before returning them to his face “I’ve been watching what you have done with the company. The rebranding was a smart move of you, I’m proud of y-“

“-stop” Adrien interrupted before his father could finish, anger surging and turning his voice hash. How dare his father tries to tell him he was proud now? Now? After everything he did as a child, every effort he made to hear those words spoken out loud, and now he wanted to tell him?

Gabriel’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, never having heard his son speak to him in such a way.

“Don’t pretend I’m here for a pleasant conversation, we both know I’m not. If it wasn’t for your message I wouldn’t have come at all, so get on with whatever it was you wanted to talk about or I’m walking back out that door” Adrien scowled, watching his father’s expression morph from surprise to something more begrudging, and was proud he managed to get his words out before his voice started shaking too much.

Gabriel shifted in his seat and cleared his throat “yes, well. Clearly, you’re still angry… please, Adrien, believe me when I say I never meant to cause you harm… or Chat Noir.”

From the meaningful look, his father sent him, the question he’d held for years over if his father had heart him that day or not was finally settled. His father knew he was Chat Noir. It almost felt reliving to know for sure.

“Never meant to harm _me_?” Adrien stared in disbelief “you mean aside from the times I was captured and in literal direct danger? What about the number of times _my school_ was attacked because you targeted _my classmates_ – teenagers who should have had a right not to be afraid of their own feelings? What about the number of times I was just _on the street_ and we were attacked?”

“I was careful. I always instructed that you be safe-“

“-But it didn’t matter in the end, did it? You couldn’t control what you had no clue over, you had no idea it was me…” he didn’t need to add that he was talking about Chat noir now, he could see it in the way Gabriel’s eyes had widened. Adrien lowered his voice while he spoke now, aware that someone could be listening “you had no idea who the kids were under those masks, and you put them in danger anyway. _Kids._ For your own selfishness. Don’t pretend to care, because I don’t believe you. You put _me_ in danger, you put _my friends_ in danger. _My family_ in danger!”

“I did it for _her_!” Gabriel was scowling too now, his tone the same demanding one he’d often used with Adrien when he was a teenager, and while Adrien hated that a part of him still felt the urge to back off the subject at the tone another part of him just got angrier. “I did it for your mother!” Gabriel continued, in the same tone “after the peacock miraculous left her in that coma… it was my last hope to free her. I did it for _our_ family Adrien.”

“Really?” Adrien sat back in the chair, folding his arms, giving his father a level glare “there’s a price to use the wish that comes with combining the cat and ladybug miraculous. The steeper the wish the greater the price. What if the price of reviving mother had cost you _me_?”

Gabriel stared blankly at his son, then scowled “they would never… it wouldn’t…”

“But it _could_.” Adrien muttered, feeling a sting of hurt at the non-answer “thankfully we never have to know if you need to choose.”

Gabriel glanced away.

Feeling impatient, Adrien asked harshly “are you going to tell me why you wanted to talk to me or not?”

For a moment Gabriel said nothing, still looking at the table before he dragged his eyes back up to Adrien’s. “I was visited a few weeks ago by a woman with dark hair and dark eyes. She called herself Enenra…”

Adrien leaned forward despite himself, glad his gut feeling had been right about his father’s message.

“She wanted to know about the miraculous holders here in Paris and their guardian.”

Adrien felt dread bubble in the pit of his stomach “what did you tell her?”

“I didn’t tell her everything” Gabriel gave him a meaningful look, lowering his tone “whatever you think of me, I didn’t tell her who you are…”

“But?”

Gabriel’s jaw tensed. “I… did not extend the same courtesy to the other holders. I told her what I knew of them. It wasn’t much, but she seemed satisfied.”

Adrien shook his head, shutting his eyes “you told her… everything you knew.”

“Not everything…”

“You put them in danger. Again.”

“I- “

“I’ve heard enough” Adrien stood abruptly, looking down at his father’s surprised expression, it was almost enough to satisfy the burning anger he felt coursing through his body. “I can’t… you… you don’t understand. You can’t, how could you?”

“Adrien, son- “Gabriel called out to him as he turned to walk away.

“-No!” Adrien glared over his shoulder, but he didn’t turn back towards him. There where images flashing through his head. Buildings destroyed, crowds running terrified, victims with black eyes and mouths contorted into soundless screams suspended in shadowy monsters, Marinette with her head bloody after getting caught in an attack. Ladybug pinned to the ground by the scorpion holder, fear in her eyes knowing the villain would kill her, Carapace holding his shell-shield over a downed Rena Rogue who wiped the blood from her nose on her wrist. How much of it could have been avoided if Gabriel had not spoken to Enenra? “You don’t get to call me that, not anymore. You put my family and this city in danger again… I can’t forgive you that.”

“Adrien!”

“I’m ready to leave” Adrien spoke through the window to the guard on the other side, who promptly got the door open for him, keeping his eyes on Gabriel behind him.

“Adrien, wait!”

But Adrien ignored the sound of Gabriel calling after him, stepping out of the room.

“The scorpion’s bracelet!” Gabriel yelled, almost desperately, before the door could shut again. Adrien paused, half turning to look over his shoulder, but thought better of it. He shook his head to the guard that had paused, clearly wondering if he was going to go back in or not, and the door was closed behind him, locking Gabriel away again.

He felt like he held his breath until he stepped out of the prison again, the cold December air hitting him like a slap to the face and knocking the breath back into him. He still shook, but anger and replaced his nerves, and he kept his head down all the way back to his car.

When he finally sat down he let out a frustrated cry, leaning his arms and head on the steering wheel, feeling drained.

“You did good kid” Plagg spoke up, poking his head out of the collar of Adrien’s hoodie and patting his neck.

“Yeah” Adrien agreed, though he wasn’t quite sure what he was agreeing with.

“I’d have said a few choice words myself that would’ve had Tikki mad at me for a _millennium_ … again.”

That made Adrien snort, grinning despite himself. He’d heard the colourful language that could come out of the tiny god’s mouth more than a few times, and though Nino would like to take credit for being the one to teach Adrien how to swear when they were kids, he could say without a doubt that the credit actually went to Plagg. The little cat-god had been horrified to be partnered up with a teenage boy who didn’t know how to swear, and had taken to teaching him like a personal mission.

“I need to tell Ladybug about this…” he muttered, starting his car.

“Tonight?”

“No” he shook his head, thoughtful “it’s the holidays and I know she has family she’s probably spending it with. Besides, it’s not her patrol night so she won’t be out. It’s already been weeks since Enenra was here, it can wait a few more days.”

“Good, its cold and I want my cheese.”

“You always want cheese, glutton.”

“I resent that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel returns... and no, he doesnt think he did anything wrong. He did it for love. Duh. 
> 
> He still loves his son of course, however his mind is a bit warped. 
> 
> Gabriel may return in this story. 
> 
> Adrien is taking an emotional beating. Plagg is there to support in the best way a snarky-cheese-addicted-cat-god can. 
> 
> Gonna go to sleep now, bye.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Ladybug swung across the sky with the kind of reckless abandon she’d come to enjoy whenever she was on patrol. Unrestrained, even by gravity, she arched her body into the jump and catapulted her way clear above the rooftops where she seemed to hover for a moment, before plummeting back to earth with such a speed that it made her stomach flip. She threw her yoyo again, pulling herself out of the freefall dive, and across a street that was already beginning to fill with people ready to celebrate the new year, a few of whom pointed and called out when they spotted her flying overhead. Ladybug waved back, grinning, snapping her yoyo taut so she could perform a summersault mid-air that made some people cheer, before making her way to the Eiffel tower where her patrol would end.

She wasn’t normally one to preform tricks like that for the public after all her job was a serious one and she needed to act professionally, so usually, she’d save playful performances for when kids were around. It was New Year’s Eve though, so why not indulge in a little fun? Or perhaps Chat Noir had rubbed off on her a little more than she ever cared to admit…

Speaking of Chat Noir…

Ladybug landed on the topmost platform of the tower, surprised to find her feline partner waiting for her there, his tail twitching as he sat in a crouch watching the people milling around below him. He looked every bit like a real cat watching something he’d love to chase, and the sight made her laugh, capturing his attention.

“What’s so funny bug?” he tilted his blonde head, curious.

“Nothing” she shook her head “what are you doing here kitty? I figured when you didn’t turn up earlier you were too busy to patrol. Uh, not that you have to of course. It’s my night.”

“I meant to get here earlier, but I got caught up with a friend” Chat explained, rubbing the back of his neck “I actually need to talk to you about something.”

Ladybug arched an eyebrow, her earlier mood deflating at the tone in Chat’s voice, and she decided to take a seat on the platform with her legs dangling precariously over the edge “What’s wrong Chat?”

“Nothings… wrong. I _think_ ” he sighed, taking a seat beside her, tail still twitching “I just… I heard from a … friend, that Gabriel Agreste was visited in prison by someone calling themselves Enenra. I… think it’s more than likely the same Enenra who’s been less than polite to us.”

Ladybug frowned “oh.”

Why would Enenra try to contact Gabriel? Were they working together? If Gabriel was helping Enenra, what was his price for doing so? Did he still want the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous?”

Chat chewed his lip, giving her a sideways look “apparently she wanted information on all of us, and on Master Fu. Gabriel… was more than willing to help.”

Probably for the first time, Ladybug was glad Master Fu had the foresight to leave the city while Enenra was still on the loose. She didn’t know how much Gabriel actually knew about the old man, but she bet it was probably more than he knew about the miraculous holders, putting the rest of the kwami’s Master Fu was guarding in danger.

“He can’t know very much about us” she muttered her thoughts out loud, still frowning “I mean… if he did, he’d have taken the miraculous from us when he had the chance, right?”

“He had a long time to learn our battle strategies though” Chat pointed out, his ears lying flat in his hair, his mouth set in a grim line.

“Your right, but Enenra’s fought us enough to learn that too. I don’t know what else Gabriel could have told her that she couldn’t have figured out herself.”

“I suppose.”

Chat sounded pensive, making Ladybug turn and look at him. He was still sitting cross-legged beside her, staring across the city and not meeting her gaze, his hands balled into fists on his knees. “Are you worried Chat?” she asked, brow creased.

His ears sprang up suddenly as he looked at her, eyes widening “worried? About Gabriel Agreste? Ha, don’t make me laugh too hard ‘bug I might fall off the tower!” he snorted, though instead of sounding amused he sounded oddly bitter.

She frowned a little at his response, sensing there might be something more on his mind, but before she could ask Chat turned away from her again rather and said: “I thought we might be able to get Enenra’s name from the prison sign-in sheet but no luck, she signed in as a ‘Jane Doe’.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes, “I thought you weren’t allowed to give fake names at a prison?”

“They’re willing to look the other way if someone’s willing to pay the guards” he shrugged.

“Hmm” Ladybug hummed, not thrilled with the reply but not surprised either. It wasn’t the first time in history that money could be used to sway someone’s moral compass after all.

For a moment the pair of them sat in silence, the only noise was coming from below them as the city got ready to ring in the New Year, and the whisper of the cold north wind. No words needed to be spoken, they were both wondering the same thing, what could Gabriel Agreste have possibly told Enenra about them? Chat Noir worried most, after all, Gabriel knew his real identity, and though he said he didn’t tell her the thought that his father could have lied about that had crossed his mind… as did the thought that he should possibly tell Ladybug that his identity could be compromised.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Ladybug sighed beside him, lifting her arms over her head and arching her back as she stretched. Without realising, he found himself admiring her lithe figure, hugged by the tightness of her suit, and looked away quickly when he realised, he’d been staring as a blush warmed his cheeks.

“You seemed to be enjoying yourself before you arrived,” he said, trying to clear his head of any inappropriate thoughts about his partner.

“Ahh” she tilted her head, blushing with slight embarrassment that he’d caught her showing off for the people “well. It’s New Year’s Eve… besides, it’s been a while since I’ve felt well enough to have fun on patrol…”

“Oh?” Chat looked at her again, his ears tilting. He hadn’t made her last patrol before the holidays started, getting stuck at work until late, so he hadn’t known if she felt unwell. “Were you sick? You could’ve asked one of us to do the patrol instead.”

“Thank you kitty, but I wasn’t sick” she smiled, then shrugged at him “the last Yokai before Christmas, the one you and Carapace didn’t make it to, managed to slam me around a little. My kwami wasn’t able to heal everything, so I had to get a check-up at the hospital, I’m fine but I felt very sore for a while. They might be made of smoke, but those things hit hard!”

“I heard from Carapace that Rena told him you were hurt, but she thought the miraculous cure worked on you?” Chat frowned. The fox holder still didn’t make much effort to speak with him by herself, but Carapace was friendly enough to give him an update every now and then. If he’d known Ladybug was hurt he’d have made an effort to check on her. He’d been too worried about Mari getting caught in the attack, and then about her invitation to Christmas, that the thought to check on Ladybug hadn’t crossed his mind, a mistake he wouldn’t repeat again he promised himself.

“She was taking care of the Yokai victim when I used the cure, so she probably didn’t see me after” Ladybug shrugged “I’m fine. It wasn’t that bad.”

“I think the fact you went to a hospital for a check-up means it was pretty bad, Bugaboo”

Ladybug looked at him, eyebrows raised. “What?”

“What?” Chat repeated.

“You just called me ‘Bugaboo’”

“Did I?” he frowned, thinking. He supposed he had let that slip, hadn’t he? Maybe some of his old habits were coming back. “Sorry, I know you hated it.”

“No! Uh…” Chat must have been seeing things, but he was almost certain Ladybug was blushing under her mask. She looked away from him, chewing her lip. “You, uh… I kind of missed the nicknames Chat. I don’t mind.”

“Oh…”

Chat felt dumbfounded, lost for anything else to say. Sure she’d eventually stopped protesting the nicknames he gave her, but he never really thought it was because she’d come to like them, more like she’d resigned herself to it. The idea she’d actually missed him calling her by a name she’d once claimed to hate made his chest swell with warmth.

Ladybug, feeling awkward in the silence, added “besides, you sound like my friend. I had to call from the hospital and he said almost the exact same thing to me.”

“Sounds like a smart friend” Chat agreed, though a thought occurred to him now with the flippant way she blew off an injury serious enough to require getting checked out at the hospital… it reminded him of another dark-haired blue-eyed lady in his life. Watching her out of the corner of his eye, he said “I had a friend who needed to go to the hospital after that attack too. She got hurt by some debris when it started.”

“Oh no” Ladybug sounded regretful “is she okay?”

“I think so. Just a nasty cut on her head” he said it clearly, trying to gauge her reaction while also staring at her head. She was turned away from him, so he could see her profile clearly, but if there was a cut to her head in the same place where Marinette had been injured then it was hidden too well under her hair for him to be able to see.

“I’m sorry she got hurt.”

She didn’t react, didn’t even turn to look at him, and Chat found himself frustrated with the lack of response.

“So how where you injured Bugaboo?” he tried asking, nudging her slightly with his shoulder in a playful way.

Ladybug gave him an odd look, raising one eyebrow “why so curious kitty?”

Chat shrugged.

“Just some scrapes and bruises, nothing to worry your pretty-kitty head about” she shook her head.

Internally Chat sighed. Her story had reminded him of Marinette, but he knew it was probably just a coincidence. Or perhaps he hoped it was just a coincidence? He didn’t know why he was so curious to know her identity still, he’d long decided that it didn’t matter anymore and, well, he could respect her choice now. He didn’t want her to know his identity, not ever, she’d hate him. He knew he should stop digging, but it didn’t seem he could help himself whenever the opportunity came about…

Standing up, Chat gave her the best grin he could muster “well, paw-don me Bugaboo but I’ve got to get going. New Year’s plans and such. Same time next week, or rather earlier since I promise not to be late for patrol?”

“You don’t have to patrol with me Chat” she rolled her eyes, standing too. Like him, she had plans to celebrate the New Year herself, and she needed to leave too if she was going to be ready when Alya and Nino came to pick her up in the uber.

“I want to,” he told her earnestly, “I told you, I want to be a better partner. I want to patrol with you.”

He sounded determined, Ladybug knew there was no arguing with him, so she smiled “alright, next week kitty. Happy new year.”

“Happy new year Ladybug.”

****

Much to Marinette’s surprise, considering her unexpected talk with Chat Noir on patrol had made her lose track of the time, she was ready to go to the club when Alya and Nino arrived at her apartment. Thankfully, she’d had the forethought to have her chosen outfit of the night out ready, and though she did rush to shower and do her hair and makeup she felt she looked good enough that no one would notice.

Marinette was a little disappointed by the short notice of the party since it meant she didn’t have much time in her hectic schedule to create a whole new outfit, but thankfully she had a few she’d already created but never had the opportunity to wear yet. She usually called those outfits her ‘experiments’, but tonight was the perfect time to wear one she thought. She debated a dress, but after Alya had sent her a picture of the dress she had decided to wear (Alya’s dress had a low v-cut bodice covered in sequins and a sheer fishtail skirt all in various shades of red), Marinette decided to go with a shirt and skirt combo she’d put together a few months ago. The shirt wasn’t too low cut, but was held up only by very thin straps over her shoulder, and was covered in blue glitter, that she paired simply with a tight black skirt ending just above her knees. She finished the outfit with a black blazer and heels and pulled her hair into a messy bun. She spent at least ten minutes fretting that he outfit wasn’t going to be ‘classy’ enough for the club before Nino and Alya arrived, despite Tikki’s best efforts to calm her, but they soon helped rid her of such thoughts as the piled into the car.

The new club, Navire, where Nino had landed his new DJ job was situated on the river Seine with a view of the Louvre across the water. It was a good spot, particularly for a club that was trying to brand itself as very exclusive from the get-go. They arrived an hour early for Nino’s set to begin, but already there was a line at the front door, and Marinette was sure that if it wasn’t for Nino pulling strings most of their group probably wouldn’t have made it through the front door.

Alix, Max, Chloe, Nathaniel, Sabrina and Kim had already arrived and waved them over to the two large booth’s they had in the ‘reserved’ section of the club. If it hadn’t been for Alix’s neon pink hair, glowing a little under the dark light in a way that made Mari suspect she’d been experimenting with the UV hair dye again, and Kim waving frantically they would have missed them in the low light.

“Alya, Nino!” Kim raised his pint glass as the three of them arrived, sliding onto the soft leather seats “congratulations, on the proposal and the new job. Not sure we’d ever get in here otherwise, very swanky!”

“ _You_ might not have got in here you mean” Chloe sniffed, though it wasn’t in the bratty way she made such comments when they were younger. Though, it still made Nathaniel and Sabrina on either side of the blonde roll their eyes.

“They even gave us complimentary bottles of champagne!” Alix pointed out, ignoring Chloe entirely, and pointing and the two bottles on the tables.

Alya, Marinette and Nino helped themselves to some of the champagne and mingled with their friends. Others arrived over the course of the next half an hour. Juleka, Rose and Luka arrived together, as did Mylene and Ivan shortly after. Despite the crowd around their two tables, and the fact the club was starting to fill with other people too, it didn’t take long for them to notice a member of their group was still missing.

“I better get up there, my set will be starting soon” Nino grinned, pointing with his thumb over his shoulder and the modern-looking DJ booth at the front of the club’s dance floor. He kissed Alya on the cheek, causing the redhead to giggle, and slipped out of the booth with a little wave to everyone else.

“Adrikins still isn’t here, he’s going to miss all the fun, and after he promised me he’d be here…” Chloe pouted.

“I’m sure he’s just running late, he’s a busy guy” Nathaniel tried to reassure her, squeezing her shoulders with the one arm he had slung over her shoulders.

“Why don’t we just ask Marinette, she’s been texting him since the car ride here” Alya snickered, leaning not-so-subtly to the side so she could see over her best friends shoulder, able to see quite clearly the incoming message notification that had just lit up the phone screen in Marinette’s hand.

Mari felt herself blush even though she tried to fight it, after all, there was nothing wrong with texting her friend… no matter what kind of look she was getting from the girls on their table. “He just wanted to tell me he was running late, it’s not what you guys think. He got stuck on a phone call, but he’ll be here soon.”

“Yeaaaah” Alya drawled “but I don’t see him texting the rest of us to let us know. Just you.”

Marinette shrugged, tucking her phone into her pocket “maybe he knows I worry.”

Alya snickered and raised an eyebrow. Across from them, Chloe rolled her eyes “oh my god, do you want me to take the shovel before you dig yourself a hole, Dupain-cheng?”

“What?” the dark-haired girl blinked. Across the table, the girls – even Nathaniel and Max - chuckled.

“I think what Chloe and Alya are trying to insinuate is that you and Adrien obviously have some feelings for one another…” Rose said gently, her soft voice clearly audible from where she sat beside Marinette.

Mari lost her fight with the blush and felt it warm her face, thankful that with the low light in the club it was unlikely anyone would actually see it. “It’s not like that… we’re just friends. He doesn’t see me like that, he never has.”

“But do _you_ see him like that?” Sabrina piped up, arching an eyebrow.

“ _No_!” she replied quickly, which only sent a ripple of knowing laughter through everyone still at the table. Mari sighed, knowing she’d answered far too quickly and sipped the last of the champagne from her glass. Before the conversation could continue, a low thrum echoed through the club and the lightly brightened slightly as the first notes of music began to play and Nino started his set welcoming everyone to the opening of the club.

Distracted, they cheered at Nino’s greeting across the mic and began to get up and join the crowd on the dance floor. Marinette danced with Alya for the first song, waving at Nino when they got close enough to the booth, and enjoying the atmosphere. It was hot in the crowd though, and Marinette was already tired after a long day working as well as her afternoon patrol, so soon excused herself to the bar to get another drink.

It took her a while to find a gap in the crowd, leaning on the cool bar to order her drink, and by the time she’d gotten her to order the music was fading a little and Nino’s voice could be heard over the mic.

“Let me hear you party people!” she heard him yell, inciting a cheer from the dancers around the club, but he wasn’t finished there. Even from across the dance floor she could see Nino waving at someone, so she wasn’t that surprised when she saw him helping Alya out of the crowd and into the booth with him “let me just say that this beautiful woman just agreed to be my wife, so Paris, lets party like there’s no tomorrow because I’m never gonna stop while I have an angel in my arms!”

Marinette joined in this time when the crowd roared, louder than before, unable to stop herself grinning when she saw Alya hide her grinning red face in the crook of Nino’s neck, knowing her best friend well enough to know she was embarrassed but completely smitten with her fiancé. Seeing them up there, together like that, Mari couldn’t help feeling as though she could feel their love from where she stood. She was so distracted; she barely noticed the drunken man she was about to collide with as she took a step away from the bar.

A hand wrapped itself around her waist and pulled her back, out of the drunken man’s path, surprising her. On reflex Marinette grabbed a hold of the stranger’s wrist with her free hand, gripping tightly as she pulled the hand from her and turned to face whoever it was that touched her…

…only to drop the hand in surprise when she found a surprised Adrien looking down at her. His own surprise quickly morphed into something else as he chuckled, rubbing his wrist. “That’s some grip Marinette, remind me not to touch you like that again!” he teased.

Marinette snickered, briefly glancing at his wrist to be sure she hadn’t actually hurt him, before sipping her drink and saying “sorry Adrien, you surprised me. Besides, I don’t really mind if _you’re_ the one touching me.”

Adrien raised his eyebrows, and Marinette released what she said, blushing furiously.

“I didn’t – I, uh, sorry” she stumbled over herself to apologise, holding the glass in her hand so tightly she was surprised it didn’t shatter “I didn’t mean, I just tend to lose my filter a little-“

“-It’s fine Mari” Adrien laughed, though there was a pink tinge to his cheeks too, stepping to the side a little to avoid the crowd steadily building around the bar. He had spotted Rose and Juleka sitting at one of the booths when he entered the club and decided they were probably safer talking at the table with friends than getting stuck in the crowd, and he wrapped an arm behind Marinette, pressing a hand against her lower back steering her away from the crowd. When she looked at him, her expression asking what he was doing, Adrien winked and delighted when the fading blush on her face returned and made her cheeks burn brightly again.

For the pair of them the rest of the night passed by in a blur of laughter, dancing and drinks with their friends, and while it was not noticed by either Marinette or Adrien, their friends shared knowing looks and amused glances at the fact neither of them ever left the others side for long. Even when Kim tried to instigate a ‘dance-off’ between the boys and the girls (some kind of argument with Alix on which gender danced better), Adrien and Marinette declined to join in favour of sitting side by side in the booth and judging the – admittedly hilarious – dance moves.

Nino closed his set by playing one of the Alya and Marinette's favourite songs, which had the redhead pulling the dark-haired girl out of her seat to dance. Adrien was content to watch them until Alya pulled him out of his seat too and onto the dancefloor with them. He didn’t argue, losing himself to the music, but he did notice when not even seconds after she had dragged him up to dance with herself and Marinette, Alya seemed to disappear magically into the crowd leaving them alone. If Adrien had thought the bar was crowded earlier when he guided Marinette away from it, it had been nothing compared to the crowd on the dance floor now, the pair of them being bumped into one another by strangers repeatedly as the dancing crowd cheered to the beat drop of the heavy bass music. When Mari bumped against his chest, seeming to lose her balance, Adrien didn’t hesitate to grip her waist to keep her standing. He’d had a few drinks since he arrived, admittedly he was a little tipsy, but he was sober enough to briefly wonder if it was appropriate of him to touch Marinette like this while they danced. He thought he saw her wondering the same thing as she stared up at him, but after a second, she smirked and surprised him by lifting her arms and resting them loosely on his shoulders. She wasn’t quite holding on to him, but it was enough to say she was fine with how close they were, and Adrien couldn’t help but swallow at their proximity even as he felt his grip on her waist drop slightly towards her hips as if his hands had minds of their own. Mari didn’t seem to mind, shutting her eyes as she danced in his grip and leaning forward slightly. Adrien felt the part of his mind (probably the sober part) that was screaming at him about how she was his friend and his colleague, and it was inappropriate to begin to get drowned out by the part of his mind that didn’t really want to let her go when the music stopped. He was struggling with the two warring sides of his mind, so he wasn’t entirely sure what happened, but the next thing he knew he had leaned forward and pressed his head gently against Mari’s. Her blue eyes flew open in surprise, but she didn’t pull away, and her expression soon relaxed as their continued dancing. Adrien was relived… from the moment he’d leaned his head against hers, it was like his mind went quiet, his restlessness soothed by an overwhelming sense of… something… belonging? Rightness?

He didn’t get much time to dwell on whatever that feeling was, unnoticed by either of them the songs had switched as Nino finished his set and a different DJ replaced him. That was until Nino appeared in the crowd, not noticing Marinette in Adrien’s arms as he approached from behind and slapped his best friend on the shoulder. The blonde was startled out of the trance he was in, letting Mari go as he turned to Nino, he only got to share a small shy smile with her before they went back to the booth. 

Alya, who had watched the entire dance, caught Marinette’s eye and gave her a knowing look that the dark-haired girl studiously ignored.

“They’ll start the countdown to midnight soon guys, get ready for a New Year” Nino warned as he took his seat beside Alya, Adrien and Marinette slipping in beside him as everyone shuffled around to make room on the seat.

“If you told me last New Year that this year was going to end with magical-monster attacks again I’d have told you to jump in the river” Chloe rolled her eyes. Around the table there where odd murmurs of agreement, though Marinette suddenly became very interested in a thread on the hem of her blazer and didn’t comment.

“I dunno, I kind of missed the blaring noise of the Akuma sirens” Alix snarked.

“I’m choosing to look at the silver lining,” Alya shrugged “the Ladyblog hasn’t had this much foot traffic in years. Besides… the Yokai are just one bad thing this year. There’s been plenty of good, and I want to focus on the good from the upcoming year!” she lifted her hand with the engagement ring on, wiggling her fingers.

“Is that your New Year resolution Alya?” Rose asked with a smile.

“Oooh, I have a good resolution” Alix interrupted, slamming her drink down as she was hit with an idea. She stood, shrugged out of her leather jacket and bared her right arm for the table to see the half-finished tattoo sleeve there “I’m going to have my tattoo sleeve finished this year, that’s my resolution!”

“It’s going to look great when it’s finished” Juleka admired, leaning forwards to better inspect the swirling ink patterns in the dark club light.

Beside her Luka nodded in agreement, tugging his shirt collar to expose the tattoo on his shoulder “think I should get this finished for my resolution?” he asked.

“I’ve always wanted a tattoo” Kim grumbled, looking between Luka and Alix “I just… it looks like it hurts.”

“It doesn’t!”

“Alix I was there when you got yours done, you _cried_. It’s the only time I’ve seen you cry!”

“I _did not_ cry!” Alix glowered at Kim. She slapped Luka on his arm “go on Luka, you tell him it doesn’t hurt!”

Luka only shrugged “it’s different for everyone.”

The rest of the table had been watching this exchange with a mixture of amused grins and raised eyebrows in silence until Alya decided to ask “Marinette, what do you think? Did it hurt when you got your tattoo?”

“Marinette has a tattoo?!” Nino exclaimed, swinging round to stare at the dark-haired girl. He wasn’t the only one, most of the table looked at her with surprise – even Chloe had nothing to say.

Marinette was ignoring their looks, glaring at Alya. “You know, we nearly went seven whole years without you bringing that up!”

Alya shrugged, not at all looking apologetic.

“Wait, why did I not know Marinette has had a tattoo for _seven years_?!” Nino was dumbfounded.

“C’mon Marinette, let’s see it” Alix goaded.

“Yeah!”

“Let’s see it, Mari!”

“Show us!”

Mari felt her face burning as her friends yelled, practically begging to see the stupid tattoo. She sighed, resigning to the fact – and in her mind supposing it was fine since Luka and Alya at least had already seen the tattoo, though it didn’t help she could see the pair of them smirking about it. She glanced at Adrien sitting beside her, but he only gave her an amused grin, also curious. Clearly, no help would come from him.

“Alright, fine” Mari stood, getting a small round of cheers from her friends. Before she made any move to show them though she pointed at Alya and explained: “but just so you know, it’s Alya’s fault.”

“How is it _my_ fault?” Alya feigned innocence “it’s not my fault _you_ lost a bet, a bet I said you’d lose didn’t I?”

“What was the bet?” Kim was intrigued.

“I put out a poll on the Ladyblog, who was the hotter superhero, Ladybug or Chat Noir” Alya cackled.

“Oh, I remember that. Ladybug, hands down” Kim snickered.

“Yeah, but Marinette didn’t think so. She was adamant Chat Noir was hotter, so I made a bet. If Ladybug won I got to choose a tattoo for Marinette to get and if Chat Noir won then Marinette would get to choose a tattoo for me.”

Nino gave Marinette a look that clearly said he thought she was crazy. Adrien appeared to be giving a similar look, but his cheeks were dusted pink. Maybe he was embarrassed, since all his friends knew bout his major crush on Ladybug as a teen. “Why on earth would you make such a crazy bet?” Nino asked, shaking his head.

“Shut up” Mari grimaced “I still say Chat Noir is hotter than Ladybug. Anyway, I lost – by only three points by the way! So…Alya chose the design…” deciding not to prolong the inevitable any longer, Marinette turned around and lifted the seam of her glittering shirt and revealed to the group the tattoo.

It was, in true ironic fashion, a Chat Noir tattoo. Marinette remembered when they’d gone into the shop as teens. She’d been nervous, but resigned to the consequence of her dumb bet, and though she’d hoped Alya would have mercy and choose a little love heart or something for her to get tattooed she’d been surprised when Alya had brought her own design to the shop. It was a paw print, only about an inch big, inked in neon green with thick black lines around it.

“Number one Chat fan, eh Marinette?” Alix roared with laughter.

“Tacky” Chloe commented though the smirk on her face said she was clearly amused.

The rest of their friends made various similar comments as Marinette tugged her shirt back down and sat again, taking everything they said with an amused expression and good humour. No one noticed Adrien beside her staring hard into his lap and having an internal crisis. He felt like he was going to combust in his seat. He knew Marinette had once confessed to Chat Noir, though she’d later told him she’d actually not been in love with him. But now she had a tattoo of Chat Noir’s symbol? His symbol? Oh god, what if she ever found out he was Chat Noir? Would she be embarrassed? Was he? He didn’t know what to think about the tattoo, but there was a weird sense of pride knowing that she unconsciously branded herself with a piece of him…

Adrien snapped his head up when Marinette nudged him. Looking down he saw she was watching him as she held her drink, apparently, the conversation had moved on while he was stuck in his head because no one was talking about tattoos anymore. “You spaced out a bit there, are you okay?” Mari asked, blinking at him with a concerned frown.

Adrien stared at her, “Huh? Oh, uh, yeah I just was just- eh- wondering why I didn’t get that Ladybug tattoo Nino always suggested. We could have matched!”

“Dude, I _forgot_ about that” Nino laughed.

Mari laughed too, looking away. Adrien wondered if he’d embarrassed her but he didn’t get much chance to ask before the DJ announced over the microphone that the countdown to midnight was about to begin, he stopped the music and encouraged everyone to find someone to kiss at midnight.

“I got my kisser!” Nino declared, holding up Alya’s hand where he entwined their fingers.

“Mm, me too” Chloe murmured, swooping in to give an only slightly surprised Nathaniel a kiss before the countdown even began.

Around the table, playful arguments started over who would kiss who, but no one took notice of Adrien and Marinette on the end of the seat, separated from the group by Alya and Nino.

“I’ve never kissed anyone at midnight” Adrien admitted, absentmindedly.

“Really?” Mari asked, surprised.

Scratching his head he chuckled “yeah I mean… I don’t really go to parties like this on holidays. Normally I’d be at home with Pla-uh, playing video games of working…”

Mari gave him a look out the corner of her eye, but admitted: “I’ve never kissed anyone at midnight either.”

“You haven’t?”

Marinette shrugged in reply, sipping her drink as the countdown began around them.

“Ten, nine, eight-” the crowd chanted.

Adrien felt glued to his seat. Should he kiss her? He’d kind of blurted out the fact he’d not kissed anyone, he certainly hadn’t expected her to admit she never had either. Was… was it some kind of hint? Did she want him to kiss her at midnight? Oh god, what if he did kiss her and she didn’t want him too, it would be so awkward!

“-Seven, six, five-“

Beside him, Marinette was having a similar panic. Did he want her to kiss him? Did he want to kiss her, was that why he said he’d never kissed anyone at midnight? Oh no, what if he wanted to but now didn’t because she’d told him she’d never been kissed at midnight? Should she even let him if he wanted to? They’d been drinking, and he still always seemed awkward about the boundary of their working relationship and friendship, surely a kiss would be way too far over the line?

“-four, three, two-“

Marinette glanced at Adrien’s profile from the corner of her eye. Maybe it was the alcohol talking, but just looking at him her worries suddenly seemed to melt away, the butterflies she felt making her nauseous calming. She felt like there was a hook in her stomach, and it was drawing her closer to him no matter how hard she fought it.

“- _One_!”

The club erupted into cheers, balloons falling down from the ceiling, and people embraced all around them. Adrien turned to Marinette. He was going to ask if she minded being kissed, that would probably be best. He was surprised, however, when she suddenly lifted out of her seat and pressed a small chaste kiss to the corner of his lips.

He felt his mouth fall open, eyebrows raising, staring at her. If it wasn’t for her cherry red expression, the tingle he felt in the corner of his mouth or his racing heart, he’d be sure he dreamed it. Marinette didn’t say anything, popping the straw of her drink her mouth as she gave him a half shrug. The colour to her cheeks wasn’t fading though.

Closing his mouth again, Adrien gave her a soft smile. Following her lead, he chose to say nothing about it. He didn’t know what he should say anyway, and until he did, staying silent was likely his best option. He didn’t want to hurt Marinette, not again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The universe was literally against this chapter getting finished, I swear to god. 
> 
> Let's start with the fact I wrote it all up... and then it got erased when I save it to my work computer and the systems were wiped by the IT guys.
> 
> Then let's add the fact that my home laptop broke. Because my puppy recently tore the ligaments of her leg I didn't have the cash spare to get it repaired after paying for her treatment. Still waiting for insurance to reimburse me, and living off super noodles.
> 
> ^^ so yeah, a poorly dog. 
> 
> So I was only able to write at work when I had spare time. Which is never because not only are we now about three-years behind on our usual work due to covid but we're having to do other departments work as well since they're either redeployed helping elsewhere or having their systems updated by IT and unable to work. Hospital staff are also getting a lot of abuse from the public which is just dragging our motivation to do, well, anything down. 
> 
> Hopefully there won't be such a large gap between this chapter and next though since I got it mostly written, and backed up to about five different places haha. I suppose this is more of a filler, fluffy chapter for you guys, but the next chapter... something kinda big happens :P


	18. Chapter Eighteen

The peace they had enjoyed over the holidays could never be allowed to last of course. Four days after New Year – so thankfully long enough to recover from the atrocious hangovers – a Yokai appeared only a few streets away from the Dupain-Cheng bakery. The blaring Akuma alarms and phone alerts meant that the area was promptly evacuated before it started destroying things, but it didn’t stop Ladybug fighting fiercely to keep it away from her parent’s bakery. She hadn’t gotten to check if they evacuated before Rena Rogue had spotted her on a nearby rooftop and they’d rushed to the fight together. 

They had been fighting for half an hour already and if Ladybug could feel a tremor in her fatigued muscles it appeared to be nothing compared to how Rena was feeling. The fox hero had already left twice to feed her kwami, and Chat Noir once. This time Enenra herself had joined the fight, her Yoaki was doing everything in its power to keep Rena, Ladybug and Chat away from Carapace while Enenra went after him herself. Not that her plan seemed to be working, every time the scorpion holder thought had the turtle cornered one of the others would be around to help him. Ladybug had used her yoyo to pull him out of Enenra’s way multiple times, Chat had used cataclysm to destroy a billboard that distracted Enenra, and Rena seemed to prefer to picking him up and running away with him. 

Ladybug swung over a rooftop, perching on a chimney, and launched her yoyo at the staff Enenra was about to throw at Carapace. Her aim was true, knocking the staff off course and off the rooftops completely. Carapace saluted a thank you as he went past her, Enenra bared her teeth and growled before disappearing over the ledge, presumably after the staff. She was becoming exhausted of this, resting a moment on the chimney top. 

“We need a better plan LB” Chat Noir landed on the rooftop near her, grimacing. He was getting tired too, she could see, and there was a small cut on his jaw that was bleeding down his neck.

“I know” she admitted “our focus is split, Carapace isn’t as fast and you, Rena or me. We’re so busy keeping him safe we’ve hardly been able to spare a thought for the Yokai victim” she nodded to the hardly visible silhouette of the victim stuck in the smoky chest of the Yokai. 

“So, what should we do?” Rena and Carapace appeared on the rooftop, the turtle holder grabbing his knees and panting. 

“I mean-“he gasped “-I can keep dodging her but…” 

“No, you _can’t_ ,” Rena told him firmly, rubbing his back, and casting a hard stare up at Ladybug. Ladybug knew that stare, what it meant. She was their leader, so why wasn’t she leading? They needed a plan, to rescue the victim _and_ keep Carapace safe. 

She was distracted, that’s why she wasn’t leading them. She wasn’t the only one either. Rena was far too focused on keeping Carapace safe, she’d hardly spared a thought for the Yokai. She didn’t know what was up with Chat but he seemed to be acting a bit off as well, his reactions were slower than normal and he wasn’t paying very much attention, twice dodging blows from the Yokai only by a hairs breath. Ladybug at least knew why she herself was distracted, and she needed to push those thoughts to the side. Chat had already thrown himself in the way of a blow meant for her. 

Standing up from her crouch and pushing a hand through her hair, Ladybug thought hard. A few ideas came to her, but she didn’t feel any of them were good enough. Sighing, she threw her yoyo in the air and called for her lucky charm hoping Tikki would give her some inspiration. 

Tikki gave her a ladybug print blanket. 

Holding the blanket with a frown, mentally wondering – not for the first time – why Tikki couldn’t just give her an object whose use was immediately clear, Ladybug looked around. It took her a moment, but she figured out a plan. 

“Rena, I want you to focus on helping Carapace. Enenra’s disappeared for a moment so try and put as much distance as you can between her and yourselves. Head for the Eifel tower and we’ll meet you there. I don’t want you to use mirage unless you _absolutely_ need to because then you’ll need to de-transform. Just try to keep out of her reach” Ladybug looked at the fox hero, her tone leaving no room for argument. None came through, Rena nodded and picked up Carapace bridal style (the turtle hero grinned and rolled his eyes at this) before bouncing across rooftops. Chat and Ladybug watched them go until they were a few rooftops away. 

“What about us ‘bug?” Chat asked, glancing at the blanket. 

“You’re with me, kitty, c’mon” Ladybug grinned, launching herself across rooftops while Chat followed. They eventually made it onto the roof where he had cataclysmed a billboard, Ladybug started tying the blanket against the still-standing poles and indicated for Chat to do the same. Then – before the Yokai could turn and notice them – she led Chat to another rooftop opposite. 

“What are we doing LB?” he asked once he caught up, watching as she stepped towards the edge of the building, seemingly thinking. 

“You, kitty… are going to throw me.” 

“Come again?” 

“You heard me, throw me. Consider it payback” she grinned at his shocked expression. “I can’t get enough momentum myself from here, but if we use your baton to make a high point and you throw me I can rescue the Yokai victim…” she pointed, and Chat realised what she meant. 

“Okay, just for reference however, this is one of your weirder plans,” he said, taking hold of her by her waist and feeling her arms wrap around his neck. His heart racing, he extended his baton and they took off with her holding onto him. “Are you ready Ladybug?” he asked as the arch of the jump was nearing. 

“I trust you kitty” was her reply, letting go of her hold on his neck. Chat Noir felt an odd thrill of happiness at her words, before using their built momentum to throw Ladybug down towards the enemy. 

Between the momentum and gravity, Ladybug flew through the air like a red missile. The Yokai clearly didn’t expect the angle she came at and was too slow to defend itself. She shot through its smoky chest, knocking the victim loose, and together they fell a few more meters before landing on the spotted blanket she and Chat had tied up like a hammock. 

Watching all this, Chat Noir breathed a sigh of relief when he saw she had landed okay, immediately getting to work on purifying the victim. He spent so long watching he stumbled on his landing, but only slightly, before taking off for the other rooftop again. He couldn’t hear her yell, but he saw the wave of magical pink ladybugs wash over the city, seeing the destruction magically repair itself before his eyes and feeling most of his aches and pains from the battle begin to dull. He could still feel a sting on his jaw though and knew that the miraculous cure hadn’t been able to heal the small wound. Poor Tikki must have been exhausted. 

When he landed on the rooftop it was empty. 

“Ladybug?” he asked. Had she taken off as soon as the battle was over? 

“Chat?” a voice behind a rooftop shed answered him. “Don’t come closer! I just needed to feed Tikki, then we can meet Rena and Carapace.” 

“A-Alright” he froze on the spot. It was like being a teenager all over again, just a few steps and he could discover her real identity… his curiosity had been roused again the last few months, mostly because he wanted to know… where his suspicions right? The evidence Marinette was Ladybug was coincidental at best… and he knew he’d never be so lucky, so why was every fibre of his being screaming at him about it? 

“Do you think they’re okay?” her voice interrupted his inner confusion.

“Sorry?” 

“Rena and Carapace,” she said “do you think they’re okay? I haven’t seen Enenra in a while, do you think she went after them?” 

“I don’t know Ladybug…” he answered her honestly “but Rena and Shelly are a good team, I’m sure they’re fine.” 

“I hope so… I should’ve taken control sooner. I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t apologise. We all have bad days.” 

“Yeah, but _my_ bad days could get one of you seriously hurt. I can’t afford to have bad days.” 

It wasn’t the first time she’d ever expressed this to him, but just like when she had confessed something similar six years ago, Chat wished he could wrap her in his arms and tell her it was okay. The weight of the world was not on her shoulders as she seemed to think, and if she felt as though it was, he’d gladly take some of that weight himself. 

“Tikki spots on!” he heard her declare, pink light illuminating the shadows behind the shed before Ladybug stepped back out. Chat wanted to say something to her, to comfort or support her, but he didn’t get the chance. “C’mon kitty, let’s find ourselves a fox and a turtle,” she said, tapping his bell as she walked past him. Her eyes briefly landed on the cut to the un-healed cut on his jaw, her expression softening with sympathy though her eyes hardened with anger. 

Rena Rogue and Carapace were waiting for them when they arrived at the tower, standing on one of the high platforms and waving at the crowd of tourists below snapping pictures. 

“She didn’t follow you?” Ladybug asked as she landed beside Carapace. 

“Oh no, she did,” Carapace told her with a shrug “right up until we saw the miraculous cure fixing everything. Guess she knew you’d be here soon and couldn’t take on all four of us dude.” 

“Coward” Rena seethed, despite the grin on her face as she waved to the crowd.

Ladybug was inclined to agree but was more concerned at the way Enenra had so easily separated the team. She wished she could find Master Fu, more hero’s right now would have been useful, but he had taken the miraculous box with him to keep it safe. She could understand why, a new hero might be a much easier target for Enenra, and keeping the miraculous safe was a bigger priority. 

“I need to leave, thankfully I don’t work until the afternoon so no one noticed me going but I shouldn’t be late” Carapace yawned, stretching. He glanced at Rena and smirked, “you heading my way foxy lady?” 

“I might be” Rena replied, the earlier venom of her voice disappearing completely. She shot a look to Ladybug, clearly asking if it was okay they leave, but Ladybug wasn’t looking. Chat was giving Ladybug a troubled look as well. Deciding to leave them too it, Rena allowed Carapace to pull her away and in the direction of home. 

“Ladybug, are you okay?” 

“No, Chat, I’m not” she surprised him by growling, not turning to face him “I hate her. I really do.” 

“Who, Rena?” he cocked his head to the side. He knew full well who Ladybug was referring to, but anger wasn’t something he often saw from her. She was the more level headed of their duo, rarely did she give in to her anger, and he never really knew how to respond when she did so he found himself trying to lighten the mood with humour. “I mean sure, she can be a little irritating sometimes but hate is a strong-“ 

“-not Rena. You _know_ who I mean” she glared at him over her shoulder, clearly not in the mood of playful games.

Sighing, Chat leaned on one of the metal beams behind him and dropped the humour. “I know, I hate her too.” 

“Rena’s right. She’s a coward” Ladybug hissed, her anger and frustration getting the better of her. “Enenra won’t face the four of us, because she knows she wouldn’t win, so instead she’s coming at us by using innocent people and turning them into monsters and I just… I just…” 

It was Hawkmoth all over again. 

Chat was surprised at the malice behind her outburst and stood straighter, watching as she kicked an invisible rock and slammed her hand on a metal beam to vent her anger. “Hey, calm down Ma-“he caught himself, freezing in place to see if she noticed his almost slip-up. She didn’t though, muttering a few more choice words about Enenra under her breath as she looked away from him, and Chat let out a sigh. He’d almost called her ‘Marinette’. No matter what he can’t imagine that would have gone down with her well. He wasn’t even sure if Marinette was the one under the mask, and yet he’s almost calling Ladybug by her name. He needed to get a handle on himself. 

“I need to go as well, Chat,” she told him before he could recover from his faux pas and say anything to comfort her. The anger seemed to have left her as quickly as it had come, though, and her voice just sounded tired. “Thanks for listening to me rant Kitty, I needed that.” 

“Anytime” he shrugged, wanting to say more but not sure he trusted himself not to slip up.

Her eyes fell on the cut to his jaw again, it had stopped bleeding but there was still a smudge of crimson down his neck where the blood had flowed “and I’m sorry we couldn’t heal you completely…” 

“This? Don’t worry about it” Chat rubbed his jaw over the cut, the dried blood flaking away “I’ve had worse from shaving ‘bug. Besides, Tikki must have been exhausted!” 

Ladybug gave him a half-smile, a mixture of relief for his understand and gratitude he’d think of her kwami. “I’ll see you at patrol tonight?” she asked.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world” he gave her a grin before they both jumped off the tower together, but headed in separate directions.

Ten minutes later a very haggard looking Marinette was rushing through the doors of Agreste Fashions running almost fifteen minute’s late for her meeting with Adrien. The security guards laughed at her rushed greeting, leaving a box of pastries for them as she normally did, before practically falling into the elevator as she tripped on her own feet. She tried to call him again while she was in the elevator, but her call went to voicemail when he didn’t answer. 

She was worried about more than just being late to her meeting with him. Mari hadn’t seen or heard from Adrien since New Year ’s Eve and her stupid decision to kiss him at midnight. What was she thinking, kissing the man who was – effectively – her boss?! Hadn’t Adrien made it quite clear to her already that he wasn’t interested in her that way? Besides… she shouldn’t be stirring up old feelings in herself anyway, building her hopes only to have them crushed again…

By the time the elevator doors opened on the right floor she’d managed to catch her breath, but didn’t feel any calmer about the situation. 

Sophia was sitting at her desk outside of Adrien’s office when Marinette arrived, fixing her lip gloss in a small compact mirror that she snapped shut once she saw someone coming. 

“Marinette!” she explained when she saw who it was “oh it’s so good to see you again, are you okay you look a little flushed?” 

“Fine” she squeaked, then cleared her voice to try to bring it to a more acceptable volume “just got caught in the evacuation, another attack and all that.”

“Mmm, yeah, I heard” Sophia hummed, brushing imaginary dust from her lap, “I think Mr Agreste must have been caught in it too, I don’t think he’s arrived yet for your meeting but I’ll check for you?” 

Sophia stood, opening the office door and peering her head around the corner slightly in case she was interrupting. Shaking her head she snapped it shut again “nope, I’m afraid not. I’m sure he’ll arrive soon though, why don’t you take a seat while I go fetch some coffee?” 

Marinette only nodded, not quite trusting her voice to remain at a tolerable tone, and sat on one of the chairs by the wall while Sophia disappeared down the hall. Really the last thing she wanted was time to herself where she could have time with her thoughts…

A few minutes passed, she tried to keep her head clear and jumped when she heard an odd noise from inside the office. 

Sophia said no one was in there… 

Frowning, Marinette listened, and was sure she heard… something. Maybe a voice? Rising to her feet she knocked on the office door gently. 

“Come in” Adrien’s voice answered her clearly. 

She opened the door, still frowning. How had Sophia missed him? There weren’t exactly many places to hide in his office. Adrien was standing in the corner by the window, holding a book open in his hand. He looked ruffled, like he had been startled by something, but still smiled when he saw her. 

“Marinette!” 

“Adrien… hi?” her earlier anxiety over meeting with him had been replaced by confusion “sorry I’m running late, I got caught in the attack today… Sophia said you hadn’t arrived yet either? She checked, actually.” 

“Really?” he sounded puzzled “odd, I’ve been here the whole time. Maybe she just didn’t see me in the corner?” 

He was lying, she was sure, but she couldn’t figure out why. She watched as he half raised his other arm in an action that was familiar to her, he was about to scratch his head like he did when he felt awkward but seemed to think better of the action and dropped his arm quickly. 

“Maybe” she replied eventually, eyeing him. 

Relived she accepted his excuse, he waved her further into his office, snapping the book in his hand shut and replacing it on the shelf. “Well, why don’t we get started? I found a few properties we may be able to use for our project…” 

He turned away from the bookcase, striding over to his desk and waving for her to follow. Mari did, slowly, and despite herself ended up looking over her shoulder at the bookshelf quizzically. She thought she saw something move on the shelf, but when she blinked and stared harder nothing moved again. She decided it must have been the breeze from the large open window next to it and followed Adrien, taking a seat opposite him at his desk. 

Her concerns were soon pushed aside however as Adrien distracted her. He began showed her the properties he’d found on his tablet, passing it back and forth between them, talking rather animatedly about his favourite ones that he definably wanted to include in the project. 

“I know they’re a bit run down at the minute-“ 

“-run down? Adrien, I think we’re going to have to pay rent to the spiders who made the webs in this one-“Marinette teased, showing in the one she was currently looking at. The main room of the building was almost completely white with cobwebs and pigeon feathers. She thought about reminding him of his allergy, he’d never be able to step foot in that building. 

“-but we can repair them. I really think this is a better idea than setting up in some pre-prepared shop. Most ready-to-buy stores are already in well-known districts. New designers would be muscled out easily by the competition before they’d even become established, and I don’t want that. They deserve a fighting chance. These buildings are right in the middle areas with heavy tourist traffic, its perfect.” 

Marinette had to agree that his plan made sense. And the buildings he had chosen had plenty of potential, even the spider web one. 

“You know, if all you wanted to do was show be buildings then this meeting could have just been a phone call?” she laughed as he took the tablet and pulled up another building for her to view. 

“Why, sick of me already Marinette?” he asked, his tone completely serious – though there was a sparkle in his eyes.

“Now you’re just fishing for compliments, but I’ll play your game” she retorted, snorting “no I’m not sick of you Adrien. I love your company. Anyone would think your making excuses to see me!” Adrien chuckled at that but didn’t reply. In truth, her joke may have hit a little too close to home for comfort and he didn’t want to risk saying anything that told her so. After she kissed him on New Year’s Eve, and a small web article his PR team had emailed him that photographed him dancing with Marinette at the club (thankfully her face wasn’t clear in the photo, so no one would ever be able to tell it was her) that declared a ‘mystery girl making moves on eligible bachelor Agreste’ had started circling he wasn’t sure how to approach her. He wasn’t even sure she’d seen the article, she hadn’t mentioned it at all. Besides, he doubted the kiss had really meant much to her besides it being a New Year’s tradition… 

“So, I’ve had a bit of an idea…” she told him, distracting him from his thoughts, and putting the tablet down “and it’s not about the buildings…” 

“You have?” he tilted his head, apparently surprised, but curious. 

“How would you feel about possibly upping the percentage of the profits you’ll be taking from the designers participating in the project?” 

“I thought we agreed the percentage was fair already?” he asked, confused. 

“We did… but I was thinking, why not have an option for the designers to pay you a higher percentage, until they have paid off the building and can leave the project owning their own store completely? This way they get the chance to become completely independent from Agreste Fashions, rather than a sub of the bigger company.” 

Adrien leaned back in his seat and stared at her. Honestly, Mari wasn’t sure if he’d be happy with her idea or not. Sure he’d be making a higher profit at first, but if anyone was extremely successful and able to become completely independent then Adrien would effectively be starting his own competition.

Then again, it wasn’t like Adrien to think of his own benefit before others, so she shouldn’t have been surprised when he answered. “I… Marinette I think that’s a great idea. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it.” 

“Really?” 

“Yes, the whole point of this project is to create independent designers. Id estimate it taking a few years to pay off the building loans completely, enough time to know if they’d make it alone or not, it’s a great idea.” 

Marinette grinned, relieved he’d liked the idea so much, though she was surprised when he leaned forwards and after a few minutes of tapping on his keyboard sat back and hummed. He thought for a moment, then nodded and looked at her “well, come take a look and see if you think this looks reasonable.” 

He waved to invite her around his side of the desk, and Marinette didn’t hesitate to join interested in what he’d done. Once she was standing beside him she was able to see it was the financial spreadsheet he’d worked on earlier to calculate the fair percentage he should take from any stores. He’d now added a second option, the percentage he should possibly take if designers wanted to pay off the building too. It was a bit higher, but Marinette supposed it would be worth it to a lot of potential designers. There was also room to negotiate, depending on how successful each store became.

“We can even have an option to move up to the bigger percentage after a certain about of time, if anyone isn’t completely certain at first if they want to purchase the building too” Adrien decided, tilting his head so he could look at Marinette. 

Mari glanced down, intending to agree with him, when she noticed a fresh looking cut on his jaw. For a moment she didn’t understand why her eyes were stuck on this small cut, a sense of de-ja-vu washing over her until he said something else – she didn’t hear what – and gave her a cocky grin. It was like an icy finger was drawing itself up her spine, and she stood frozen, the world around her simply stopped. The cut, the cocky grin, impossibly green eyes, messy blonde hair… 

There was no way… 

And yet, despite that voice telling her, there was no possible way, it was like something in her mind just clicked into place. This she hadn’t noticed suddenly seemed obvious, similarities she should never have been able to ignore making her question how she couldn’t have seen it before… 

“-inette?” his voice broke through her frozen world, and she felt a tremor through her muscles, a sense of nausea settling deep in her stomach as she felt the beginnings of a pressure headache behind her eyes. Poor Adrien was oblivious to this, watching her with concern, he didn’t know what happened but had seen her become suddenly pale… 

“H-how, what… what happened to y-your jaw?” Mari managed to stutter out. She wasn’t certain what made it more difficult to talk, her chattering jaw, or the nausea. 

Adrien frowned, running his hand over his face until he felt the cut. “Oh… I just, uh… I cut myself. Shaving. I cut myself shaving this morning. Marinette are you okay, you look pale?” 

Lying. He was lying again, his voice always went higher when he lied. Marinette stumbled away from the desk on unsteady footing as she replied “fine. I’m fine… I’m… no, I’m not fine. I don’t feel very well, do you mind if I…?” she indicated to the door, asking if it was okay if she left their meeting. Not that it mattered if he said no, she needed to leave, and she needed space. She felt like she couldn’t breathe, standing this close to him…

“Not at all, are you sure you don’t want me to call Alya to come to get you?” Adrien was really worried, standing when he saw her stumble, but when he reached towards her Marinette flinched away. He felt his stomach drop at the sight of that, and dropped his hand to his side as he watched her. 

“No, no, no. Fi-uh, I’ll be fine. I’m sorry, Adrien, I just….I’m sorry I need to go.” 

“It’s okay,” he told her, though his lost tone broke her heart. Whatever her head was going through, he shouldn’t think it was his fault. 

Marinette dragged her eyes back up to his, and the familiarity of them slamming into her again, but she forced herself to keep his gaze long enough to tell him “I’ll call you. I will.” 

Adrien looked a little more hopeful, though the concerned look on his face didn’t leave, and Marinette finally tore he eyes from his as she nearly ran out of his office. 

****

“Marinette?” Tikki sat on the arm of the sofa close to Marinette’s head. Her chosen had been lying on the couch for over an hour now, and if it wasn’t for her wide-open eyes the kwami might have thought she’d fallen asleep. 

It had been hours now since they had left Adrien’s office. Marinette had been silent the whole way home, even when Tikki had sat in the collar of her coat and tried talking to her, she’d never said a word. She was pale, the odd shiver running over her body, and Tikki would be lying if she said she hadn’t been worried for her. The kwami didn’t know what had happened in Adrien’s office to have this effect on her.

When they got home, Marinette crumpled. She had barely closed the front door before she lowered herself to the floor, unable to stand on her quaking legs any longer, and pressed the palms of her hands into her eyes to try to stave off the pounding headache. 

Tikki flew out of her hiding spot in her jacket immediately, hovering in front of her chosen. “Marinette, talk to me, are you okay?” 

“Tikki…” Mari moaned, dragging her hands away from her eyes and setting her blurry vision on her kwami “Tikki, is Adrien Chat Noir?” she asked as firmly as her voice would allow at the minute. 

Tikki was shocked, and hesitated to respond. But her expression was enough to confirm it for Marinette. 

“Why didn’t I see it before?” she asked, though she didn’t really expect Tikki to have an answer. 

“That’s how the magic works Marinette” Tikki sighed, rubbing a little paw over Marinette’s forehead in an attempt to soothe her “it tricks your mind, that’s how your identities are protected by just a mask. It forced your mind to ignore the obvious, the similarities, until something irrefutable breaks it...” 

Another wave of nausea hit Marinette while Tikki was talking making her whimper. “Why does it hurt?” 

“Your brain doesn’t like being tricked” Tikki answered softly, brushing a strand of hair off her chosen’s face “I’m so sorry Marinette, normally when a Ladybug and a Chat Noir begin to learn each other’s identities it’s a more gradual process than this and that lessens the effects. You didn’t have a lot of suspicion about Adrien and Chat, that’s why it hurts so much.” 

“I feel sick.” 

Tikki stayed with her chosen as she sat on the hallway floor for a little while longer, rubbing small soothing circles on her forehead. The only time she left was to fetch some medicine and water for her to take, hoping it might dull the effects of the headache. It felt like a long time before Marinette was able to pull herself up off the floor, still pale and a bit unsteady on her feet, but at least her headache had gone from splitting pain to a dull ache, and the nausea was beginning to pass. 

Feeling as though she was on autopilot, and more at Tikki’s urging, Marinette re-heated some of the leftover soup she’d had for supper the other night and had that for her tea. She didn’t remember eating, but the bowl was empty when she next looked down so she supposed she had… she also looked at her phone, feeling her chest flutter when she saw a text from Adrien hoping she was alright. Not wanting him to worry she gave him a quick response that she was okay but still felt ill before placing her phone and the now empty soup bowl on her coffee table she lay down on her sofa, content to lie there for a while. 

“Marinette?” Tikki repeated, an edge of worry creeping into her voice now. This time however Marinette reacted, turning her head up so she could see the kwami.

“Tikki, I feel so… _stupid_ ” she mumbled. 

“Oh no, Marinette, you’re not stupid” Tikki fussed, “I told you, the magic that protects your identities is strong. It’s not perfect, but it’s very difficult to see through it… especially if you don’t want to.” 

Marinette listened, but the explanation didn’t really help her feel better. She sighed, finally pulling herself up to sit and look at Tikki. She wasn’t quite aware of how much time had passed since she got home, the pain of her headache had pretty much taken any sense of time passing from her senses, but she realised now that her sitting room was being bathed in gold and orange light from the sunset outside. 

“Are you upset I figured it out?” she asked her kwami gently. 

Tikki’s eyes went round “upset? Of course, I’m not! I… I still believe that knowing each other’s identity is dangerous. If one of you was captured, or turned against the other, your families and friends could be in danger… but it’s been years so maybe… maybe Chat can be trusted. I trust him. He’s very loyal to you Marinette.” 

“But… Chat didn’t want me to know his identity anymore…” Mari remembered, feeling her stomach drop again. Would he be upset knowing she’d figured it out? Would this affect their newly rebuilt partnership? What about their civilian working relationship? “I can’t let him know I figured it out!” she murmured, running a hand over her tired face. 

“Oh Marinette, I’m sure he won’t be angry…” Tikki tried to comfort her. Marinette didn’t react however, her eyes seemed glazed over and lost in thought. Floating closer, Tikki asked the question that had been burning in her mind since they had gotten home. “How _did_ you figure it out, if you don’t mind me asking, Marinette?” 

This seemed to bring Marinette back from wherever her mind had taken her. Tiredly she dragged her head around to look at Tikki, resting her cheek on her hand as she muttered “it was the cut… it was the same cut on Chat’s jaw. I felt so _guilty_ , because he got hit with the rubble the Yokai threw at _me_ when he pushed me aside. He could’ve been really hurt. He was lucky it was _just_ a cut…” 

Tikki looked away, feeling guilty. When the miraculous cure had repaired the damage the Yokai caused she’d not healed Chat’s cut. Maybe if she had Marinette would’ve remained blissfully unaware…

Marinette stood up, walking to the window where she could better see the setting sun over the city of Paris. Below her apartment she could see a busy street, groups of people walk and laughing with one another, sitting outside of cafes and enjoying themselves. Cars revved and honked their horns. Birds sang. It was the sound of everyday life, going on, oblivious to the fact she felt like her world had been on pause for the last few hours. 

She looked across the rooftops and half expected to see a black silhouette jumping over them. 

“I’m supposed to meet Chat for patrol soon…” she said out loud, turning to Tikki as the kwami flew over and settled on her shoulder, and slight but comforting weight. “But I’m not sure if I can face him right now and pretend that I don’t know it’s him…” 

Tikki frowned, tapping her chin with a paw “normally I wouldn’t encourage you to miss patrol but… maybe you could tell him you’re sick, just this once? I’d certainly feel better about you patrolling if I knew your head was in the right place for it.” 

“I can’t do that” Marinette sighed, but gave Tikki an appreciative smile for the concern “it’s my day in the first place, even if Chat is joining me. Besides, he saw me fight earlier so he knows I didn’t feel sick then… and I don’t want to lie to him.” 

“Are you sure?” Tikki was apprehensive, worried for her chosen.

“Yeah. Maybe we can split up so I won’t have to interact with him too much until I… until I know what to do about this. I don’t know if I should tell him I know… he doesn’t want me to know.” “Oh Marinette,” Tikki stood on her shoulder, hugging her cheek “you’ll figure it out, you always do.” 

“Thank you Tikki” Marinette thanked the tiny god, petting her head gently with a finger, appreciating the faith she seemed to have in her even when she herself felt lost in the situation. “But… I think I’d like to start my patrol a bit early, give myself time to prepare before Adri-uh-Chat, arrives. Is that okay?”

“Of course!” Tikki exclaimed, “just promise me you’ll be careful.” 

“I will.” Marinette promised “Tikki, spots on!” 

Without any more chance to talk Tikki was sucked into the earrings and Marinette felt the familiar warm pink light envelop her body, soothing her battered mind as it did so, as her clothes where replaced magically by the Ladybug suit. Behind the mask, she already felt a bit more settled with the new knowledge, though she was sure that feeling would go out the window as soon as she saw Chat Noir himself. 

So as not to be seen she left out of the small window of her spare bedroom-turned-sewing room, since it offered more protection from prying eyes thanks to a large well-placed metal vent, and pulled herself onto the rooftops with her yoyo. For a moment she stood, enjoying the last rays of sunlight and the cold winter breeze. After the last few hours she’d had, nothing had ever felt quite so good. 

She jumped when her yoyo buzzed with an incoming message on her hip. She scowled as she reached for it, realising her nerves were clearly not as relaxed as she thought they were. Especially when her racing heart seemed to jump into her throat when she saw the new message was from Chat Noir himself.

“ _Hey ‘bug, got scheduled in a last-minute meeting at work so might be a little late for patrol, but I’ll be there! – Kitty_ ” 

She frowned at the message, trying to understand the mixture of disappointment and relief swirling unpleasantly in her stomach. Maybe it was a good think Chat was going to be late. It gave her more time to compose herself at least. Besides, if she could start patrol without him that meant less time in his presence if she couldn’t get a handle on her own thoughts and emotions… 

Deciding that starting patrol alone would be her best option she shut he yoyo on the message and took off on her normal route throughout the city, though she still went to their usual meeting spot first in case he wasn’t as late as he thought he would be. No matter what she felt, she didn’t want him to think she was behaving differently for anything that he did. It wasn’t his fault in the end. 

As she ran over the rooftops, she let her mind wander again. 

She couldn’t wrap her head around how she hadn’t been able to see Chat Noir and Adrien Agreste were the same person until now, despite Tikki’s explanation of how the magic around their miraculous worked. It just didn’t make sense, and her brain was desperately trying to force it to make sense, which was probably why her head had hurt so much earlier. 

She thought back to when they first got their miraculous as teenagers. Adrien was shy, sweet, considerate, and had a terrible love for corny jokes once he opened up a little. Chat Noir was cocky, flirtatious, brave and had an awful sense of humour. It was easy to believe these where two different boys. _Except_ … except Adrien was _also_ brave, and he could be confidently flirtatious when he wanted to be (though she’d mostly witnessed this whenever he and Nino thought it was hilarious to flirt with one another rather than flirt with girls, so she could be forgiven for thinking it was just another way to joke for him right?). Adrien was also responsible for some of the worst joke she’d ever heard… and Chat Noir could _also_ be very sweet, and shy whenever he got serious about something. 

They both had a terrible home life, but neither of them complained too much about it. Adrien would express disappointment about his lack of spare time in the hectic schedule his father pushed on him, and he told them about the number of times Gabriel would disappear of business trips without letting him know, or go weeks without actually seeing his son for more than a few minutes a day. He always acted like it was normal, and shrugged off his friend's concerns when they expressed them. Chat Noir had let slip a few times, especially when he was feeling really upset, about his home life. He’d expressed to Ladybug about how he didn’t feel very close with his father, how he felt like a disappointment no matter what he did. He’d never been able to go into specifics though, because she’d forced them to keep their identities secret and knowing anything more about his home life could have led her to discover his identity. 

A fat lot of good that did them now of course. 

Ladybug paused to lean on a brick chimney, panting for breath as her lungs burned with the cold air. She didn’t know how long she had been running, but the night was beginning to settle on the city, the last of the suns golden rays barely illuminating the skyline now. The muscles of her legs burned along with her lungs, and her nose was numb with the cold. The only part of her that felt warm were her eyes, and that was only because of the tears threatening to spill.

Not for the first time, or the last she’d guess, she cursed Gabriel Agreste’s name.

It was no wonder Chat Noir didn’t want to share his identity with her. He probably thought she’d hate him, or not trust him anymore, him, the son of her enemy. Oh, how wrong her kitty was… 

It made even more sense now why he’d left the city. Finding out your father is your enemy? It can’t have been easy on him. It explained why Chat didn’t want to tell her too much about why he left either. She hated that she couldn’t have been there for him, but maybe it was for the best. Maybe Chat Noir-Adrien really did spend some time blaming her for his father’s arrest… it probably made it easier for him to accept that he’d had a role in throwing his own father in prison too if he put all the blame on her… 

She wished she could have been there for him. A shoulder for him to cry on, a sympathetic ear, even just to hold him if he’d needed it. He was her kitty, her partner, her best friend… 

He was her first love. 

She ran a hand over her hair at that thought, pulling strands loose, before throwing her yoyo and jumped across the street. Embarrassment burned in her and she didn’t really want to think about that… 

Of course, her traitorous mind had other plans. 

God, she’d rejected Chat Noir so many times, but he never seemed to waver in his absolute devotion to her. He never gave up hope, and he never stopped trying, all those years ago. She rejected him so many times… for Adrien. She was hopelessly in love with Adrien. Who was Chat Noir. _She_ rejected Chat… for himself… similarly, Adrien had rejected her _probably_ because he was in love with Ladybug (admittedly not what he’d said to her face, but his huge crush on Ladybug was common knowledge among their friend group), or at least that’s what she guessed now knowing his secret identity. Had he rejected her civilian self for Ladybug not knowing they were one and the same? It was such a mess! 

And now… she’d be lying if she didn’t admit that those old feelings were stirring again, as much as she tried to deny it. 

She officially decided the universe was playing an unfair joke on them. Letting out a frustrated groan and scowling at herself she threw her yoyo on autopilot towards the next rooftop.

Her feet never touched the next rooftop.

She only had a moment to register the movement in the shadows between two tall buildings as she passed by them. Pain erupted in the side of her face and she saw stars, crying out as she let go of her yoyo out of reflex and felt her body fall before slamming into the side of the building she’d been aiming for, gripping the edge of the rooftop with her still outstretched arm. Blinking through the tears that clouded her vision, Ladybug twisted to throw her other arm up, gripping to the ledge and trying to pull herself up. It was the first time she’d nearly fallen, when she had first started out as Ladybug she’d messed up quite often, and in winter when the rooftops where slippery accidents always happened. Still, it didn’t stop her heart pounding faster, leaping into her throat and threatening to choke her.

Gasping she pulled herself onto the rooftop, grimacing as she held a hand up to her face, still warm and stinging from the pain of whatever had hit her. She could taste copper, and when she felt wiped at her mouth her red-suited hand came away stained with crimson blood.

The air around her shifted and Ladybug looked up to find Enenra had landed on the rooftop barely a meter away, her bug-like tail curling up over her body in a way that looked threatening, the wicked pointed tip gleaming with black liquid. “I am sick-“Enenra stalked closer while Ladybug stumbled to stand up, her head feeling heavy “-and tired of you, you _children_ , getting in my way!”

The scorpion holder swung her fist, but Ladybug stepped backwards and to the side, dodging it. “You think your little _team_ can stop me? Do you think _numbers_ will protect you? You know nothing, _nothing_!”

Ladybug reached for her yoyo, knowing if she could put some distance between herself and Enenra she could recover from the initial blow that had knocked her out of the air, as well as keep her promise to Tikki and call the other holders for backup. Her yoyo wasn’t at her waist though, her hands feeling nothing but the material of her suit when she reached for it, still dodging Enenra’s attempts to strike her. Her yoyo was still swinging in the air above her, attached to a chimney, after she’d let go of it when she fell.

Enenra huffed, removing the staff from a holder at her waist, and swung it at Ladybug’s ankles. The blow was unexpected, and she didn’t have enough room left on the rooftop to dodge. Ladybug slammed down to the ground again, this time feeling the air leave her lungs as she gasped and struggled for another breath.

“This could have been _so easy_. All you had to do was _give me_ the miraculous, my attacks would have stopped, but no. I should have known it was too much to ask. It always is.” Enenra sneered, standing heavily on one of Ladybugs arms while holding the other down with her staff, the tip burying itself painfully in her flesh making her cry out.

“W-why?” Ladybug managed to gasp out, still struggling to breathe after having the wind knocked out of her. Her lungs burned. She didn’t even know what she was asking.

Enenra’s dark eyes when wide, seemingly shocked by the question. “You wouldn’t _understand_!” she spat, her tail lashing wildly “but they will soon… oh yes… I realise I’ve gone about this the wrong way. Why waste my Yokai distracting your little team members just so I might get _one_ miraculous… when the other’s will crumple one their _leader_ falls?”

Ladybug had only a moment to register the implications of what Enenra said, her brain struggling to catch up after the events of the day, before the scorpion tail darted towards her. She tried to flinch away, but she was held down my Enenra’s weight leaning heavily on both her arms. Still, she tried, throwing as much of her weight to the side as possible, but it wasn’t enough. White-hot pain erupted in her should as the pointed tip of Enenra’s tail pierced the protective Ladybug suit and embedded itself in her skin. It was only for a moment, barely enough time to take a breath, but it was enough. Enenra backed off, taking her weight off Ladybug’s arms and taking a few steps back as she watched, a slight frown on her face. Ladybug sat up a soon as she was able, her chest still burned and her face ached, but worse she could feel the venom being pumped through her system with every beat of her heart, turning her blood to ice.

“Don’t worry” Enenra spoke softly now, tilting her chin up as Ladybug tried to stand “my venom can’t turn other miraculous holders into Yokai, so you won’t destroy the city you love so much…”

“What… w-what have you done?” Ladybug growled. Her limbs felt like she was burning.

“What I _have_ to do” anger crept into Enenra’s voice again, twisting her features. She strode towards Ladybug again, raising her arm, and seemed surprised when Ladybug was able to dodge her still. So it must have shocked her more when Ladybug turned and ran, leaping onto a nearby air conditioning box and using it to reach the highest part of the rooftop to retrieve her yoyo. Enenra chased, twisting just in time to avoid being hit with the yoyo when Ladybug threw it.

“You’re just prolonging the inevitable” Enenra scoffed, prowling just out of reach “I’ve already stung you. I know you can feel it. Your limbs feel heavy, don’t they Ladybug? Soon you won’t be able to stand. You won’t be able to keep your eyes open- “

Ladybug threw the yoyo again, this time it hit Enenra on the side of her jaw, knocking her back a step and effectively shutting her up.

“Y-you… talk too much” She gasped. Enenra might have been right, she was struggling to keep her limbs obeying her, but she didn’t need to make it obvious. “Besides… y-your plan… your plan won't w-work. The others… they won't stop. They _won’t_. E-even if _Ladybug_ is gone… th-they’ll never give you the m-miraculous. You’ll ne- _never_ win!”

Enenra smirked, throwing her staff like a javelin towards the red-clad superhero. Ladybug swung her yoyo, though the slightest movement was beginning to feel like she was trying to move through jello, it deflected the shot. She only realised too late that it was a distraction.

Enenra threw herself forward, tacking Ladybug and slamming them both into the brick wall behind her. She wrapped a hand around Ladybug’s throat, squeezing slightly, and baring her teeth. “Your resilient, I’ll give you that. I can see why they follow you. But it doesn’t matter. My venoms effects are taking hold, I don’t need to wait for you to pass out before I take your miraculous!”

She reached up a hand and Ladybug let out a scream as her left earring was torn from her ear. She didn’t know if it was because of the sheer force of her scream, or something else, but Enenra dropped her grip on Ladybug’s throat and let her fall to the ground, her numb and shaking legs no longer able to support her weight.

Her vision was starting to swim, blackness setting in as she tried to stave off passing out. But it was like her brain wasn’t able to handle any more shocks… any more pain… she just wanted to sleep…

Enenra was stalking again, she could hear the dull tones of her voice, but she wasn’t able to understand what she said. It was like hearing someone talk with your head stuck underwater. Her arm was reaching for her other ear, Ladybug was vaguely aware of this, and tried to knock her arm away but she didn’t know if her own limbs obeyed or not.

She couldn’t let her take the earrings, her miraculous.

She couldn’t let her destroy Tikki.

She couldn’t let Ladybug disappear.

Master Fu was counting on her to keep the miraculous safe. Carapace, Rena Rogue, they where counting on her to lead them. Chat Noir… Adrien…

He’d blame himself. She knew he would.

She fought against the darkness swimming in her vision, she tried to get up, but it was like she was frozen. Her efforts were futile, the blackness was winning, she couldn’t see anymore…

She thought she felt something near her ear. Was that Enenra taking her other earring? Had she lost? She thought she heard a scream, guttural and echoing. Was that how the scorpion holder celebrated her victory?

Her body felt cold and hot at the same time, the darkness had taken her vision, and she was vaguely conscious of the silence that now seemed to drown her. Was this how it ended? She wondered tiredly.

Was this how Ladybug ended?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooh mmmmmmy gooood this chapter took me so long to write. I swear I deleted and rewrote more times than I care to think about. Doesn't help that Microsoft word crashed on me multiple times and kept deleting everything. Got that fixed now, thankfully. 
> 
> So yeah. I said this chapter would have a lot going on. 
> 
> I want to say something about the reveal since it's probably pretty unexpected and basically... that's what I wanted to go for. I didn't want Marinette to have a gradual realisation, or more than one or two suspicions, because I wanted to explore what would happen without that. So... while Adrien is gradually becoming suspicions, Marinette gets a mental-realization punch to the brain with the facts. 
> 
> And why did a little cut clue her in? Why didn't the fact both Chat and Adrien were missing for six years? Or their *sometimes* similar personalities? appearance? Well, I decided to cop out and use magic as an excuse but well... have you never just not noticed something before? and then suddenly one day as if for almost no reason 'WHAM' you realise something about that thing you didn't notice?   
> But the explanation I'm going for is that the imperfect magic hiding their identities just kind of broke, the cut on Adrien's chin being the catalyst. 
> 
> Meanwhile, Enenra's getting frustrated and decided to change her tactics. Take out the leader and the minions will fall. I don't think her plan would have actually worked if Ladybug hadn't already been so distracted. Poor Mari, she's really taking a beating in this story...


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Marinette didn’t want to wake up, but there was light shining on her face. She probably forgot to close her blinds again before she went to bed. Grimacing she turned over, intending to bury her face in the pillow so she could ignore the world for a little longer. Her shoulder erupted with pain when she tried to move, forcing a small whimper from her lips, and her eyes to fly open. She was blinded for a moment by the morning light, which was long enough for her to remember…

Looking towards the source of light, three wall-length windows beyond which she could see a large balcony and the skyline of Paris, Mari realised she didn’t know where she was. The last thing she could remember was blacking out after Enenra poisoned her with her venom, and hearing a scream.

Ignoring how her arms ached, she reached up and touched her ears, feeling both relief when she found a stud still firmly in place on her right, and panic when she felt a bandage and no bump where the earring should have been on her left. So Enenra had succeeded in getting one of her earrings? What did that mean?

“T-Tikki?” she whispered, more scared that her kwami wouldn’t answer.

For a moment only silence and the far of sounds of the city waking up greeted her, and she felt her heart plummet. Then something rustled, Marinette tilted her head and found a bedside table near her head, the draw half-open, relief coursing through her when two red antennae appeared just before Tikki popped out. “M-Marinette!” Tikki gasped, zooming out of the drawer and landing on her chosen’s cheek her big blue eyes wide with unshed tears as she hugged her as tightly as her tiny body would allow. “Oh Marinette, I was so worried about you!”

“Oh _come on_!” another voice came from the open drawer, and Mari’s eyes were dragged up to find a tiny black cat with huge eyes yawning as he leaned on the side of the draw, his little front paws handing down uselessly “I _just_ got her to get some sleep, do you realise she’s been awake this whole time watching over you, not to mention all that work she did to get that venom out of you? My sugarcube needs her rest too y’ know!”

“Shh Plagg!” Tikki told him, though her voice was muffled by Marinette’s cheek.

Marinette stared at the black cat kwami, realisation dawning on her. If Chat Noir’s kwami was here, it wasn’t a large leap in logic to guess Chat was there too. Her muscles protested, but she managed to sit up, catching Tikki when she slid off her face as the movement. Now that she could see her again she realised that her kwami really did look exhausted, more than she’d ever seen her before.

A small sound on her right and Marinette realised she’d somehow missed the glaringly obvious.

Lying on the other side of the spacious double bed was Adrien. He was still dressed in the same white shirt and black slacks she’d seen him in during their meeting when she’d realised he was Chat Noir, so she guessed not a lot of time had passed while she was unconscious. He was facing her, in his sleep, unconscious expression softer than she’d ever seen it while he was awake, blonde hair a mess and falling into his eyes in a way that was undeniably very Chat Noir.

“He stayed awake as long as he could” Tikki whispered to her, sitting on the palm of her hand and smiling warmly at Adrien’s sleeping form “he was so worried about you Marinette. It was very sweet.”

Marinette was only partially listening. She was watching Adrien, surprised that she found none of the feelings she thought she’d have after discovering he was Chat Noir. She thought she’d panic, that she wouldn’t know what to do or say, but the only thing she felt was relief. Relief because he was Adrien… and he was Chat… and really, was there anyone else he could have been? He was her kitty, one of her best friends, her first love and her closest confidant all rolled into one.

“Oh, yeeah, sweet” Plagg zoomed up to sit on her hand with Tikki, miming gagging and rolling his eyes. “Please sugarcube, you're not the one who had to listen to him. ‘Do you think she’ll be okay Plagg?’ ‘It’s my fault I was late Plagg!’ ‘What if she’s upset with me Plagg?’ urgh, and don’t even get me started on the _crying_!”

Marinette covered her hand as she giggled at the black cat's dramatics, though his words sounded harsh, there was a tone of affection when he spoke about his chosen and she knew he really cared about him.

“I _can_ hear you Plagg” Adrien mumbled, making the three of them jump. Plagg chuckled awkwardly, flying to hide behind Marinette’s hair, as the blonde blinked awake with a yawn.

It seemed to take him a moment to realise Marinette was there, he blinked twice before his emerald eyes widened and he sat bolt upright. “Marinette!”

“Adrien” she raised an eyebrow. He sounded shocked… oh no, had she still been transformed when he fell asleep?

“Marinette, your awake!” he repeated her name again, and looked like he was going to hug her. He seemed to think better of the action last second and redirected the move into running a hand through his hair to brush it out of his eyes. “Are you feeling okay? Do you want some water?”

“Umm,” she raised her eyebrows, only now realising just how thirsty she actually was. She nodded, and Adrien gave a relieved smile as he jumped off the bed quickly and left the room, probably to fetch her a drink. Once she couldn’t hear his footsteps anymore, she turned to Tikki with a puzzled expression.

Tikki giggled. “If you’re wondering, he knows your Ladybug. Chat Noir arrived just before Enenra could take your second earring, and thank all the gods he did because I can't hold the transformation very well with only one! He was very brave Marinette, I wish you had seen, he fought her off before she could hurt you anymore!”

“He’d have done a lot more than that if he hadn’t been so worried about leaving you alone in your state” Plagg sniffed, sounding miffed. “Might not be your thing pigtails, being Ladybug and all that, but I should probably tell you that the other bug-lady didn’t get away unharmed by the time my kitten was done with her.”

Marinette said nothing, listening as the two kwamis started to bicker (Tikki didn’t think Plagg should be encouraging bloodshed, but Plagg didn’t see a much problem with it if the enemy drew first blood anyway). She was wondering what Chat had done to Enenra. She’d seen the rage of Chat Noir herself only as teenagers when they weren’t exactly the most stable with their emotions anyway, and even then barely more than a handful of times. He was a fearsome sight when truly angered. She could easily believe Plagg if he said he’d done damage to Enenra, particularly after what the scorpion holder had done to her. She couldn’t imagine what that must have looked like to him when he found them, Enenra standing over her about to take her earring while she was passing out…

She looked up when she heard footsteps approaching. Adrien peered around the door, smiling bashfully when he saw her watching him, he entered the room completely holding a jug of water and a glass. Without saying a word he poured her a drink, handing it to her while he set the jug down on the other bedside table and took a seat on the other side of the bed again while she drank.

Marinette felt like her throat had been parched, but she only realised after she started drinking. Once the water passed her lips it was like she couldn’t stop, and within moments she’d drained the whole glass, wiping her lips on the back of her hand and feeling as though her body was thanking her for the much-needed nourishment.

“Thirsty?” Adrien snickered, watching her.

Snorting, Mari set the glass down on her side table and looked at him as she retorted “a bit, I think it must be a side effect from being poisoned.”

The amusement bled out of Adrien’s expression, his smile slipping, and he looked away. “I’m sorry Marinette, if I hadn’t been late… if I hadn’t been late to patrol then maybe she wouldn’t have cornered you like that… you wouldn’t have to find out I’m… that I’m…”

“That your Chat Noir?” she guessed.

Adrien nodded, still not looking at her as he picked at the blankets beneath them.

Chewing her lip, Mari leaned back against the headboard and watched him as she confessed “Adrien… I already knew you where Chat. I- uh- I figured it out when we where in your office, that’s why I left so quickly… it was the cut on your jaw…” she reached out without thinking, her fingers hovering near the cut on his jaw that had outed him to her, but snatched her hand away when he turned to look at her.

His green eyes were watching her, puzzled, before he seemed to understand something. “You were disappointed it was me… I get it, that’s why I didn’t want to tell you. How could you trust me to be your partner, or even have a miraculous, knowing who my father was?”

“Kid…” Plagg frowned, hovering near Adrien.

“Adrien, I’m _not_ disappointed that your Chat. Actually, now that I know it was you, I feel stupid for never realising it before. I mean…” she laughed a little “how could Chat Noir be anyone _but_ Adrien Agreste?”

“I kind of know the feeling… I sort of had a suspicion that you might be Ladybug, I just refused to let myself believe it. I mean how could I be so lucky, that these two amazing women I – uh, in my life, are the same fantastic person?” Adrien sounded amazed, like he still had trouble believing. “Tikki actually managed to hold your transformation, even with one earring, until I’d gotten you here safely. I’m glad she did… I might have had a small freak out.”

“Nothing compared to my freak out I bet” she smiled at him, nudging him with a shoulder “so… did you get the worlds worst headache as well?”

“Yes!” he groaned at the memory, but smiled at her attempt to make the conversation light-hearted “Though, Pagg did say it wasn’t nearly as bad as I could have been because I already suspected you…”

“You suspected me?!” Marinette was shocked.

“Well… a few things started adding up that were just a bit too much of a coincidence. Both of us having plans to play the new Mecha Strike game before it was even released, that injury you got to your head – I’m guessing from the battle and not from a collapsing metro tunnel, right? But honestly the biggest hint?” he looked away blushing as he admitted “your eyes where the biggest clue, they’re the exact same shade… I’m surprised I never noticed before actually. I’ve always thought your eyes where beautiful…”

Marinette opened her mouth, shut it, and repeated the action twice as she felt her cheeks warm. Had he actually said that he’d always thought her eyes where beautiful? Like… even when they where in school always?

An awkward silence settled over the pair, neither of them looking at the other as a blush warmed both their cheeks, unaware of how their kwami’s reacted - Plagg rolled his eyes, dragging a paw down his face, and Tikki sighed watching how adorable they were together.

Eventually, Adrien cleared his throat “besides… you and Ladybug are more similar than Chat and Adrien are. It’s ridiculous I didn’t realise!”

“Oh please,” Marinette sniffed “Ladybug is totally different from me! Ladybug is… she’s fearless-“

“-so is Marinette- “

“-she’s a leader- “

“-So is Marinette- “Adrien turned to her, raising an eyebrow that clearly asked if that was the best she could come up with.

“-she’s a hero!” Marinette ignored him.

“Marinette” Adrien put a hand on her shoulder, a light comforting weight “you are all those things. You’re our everyday Ladybug!” he repeated what he’d said to her all those years ago in the park, though the memory now left him with a new understanding for the shocked expression she’d worn when he called her that.

Marinette looked at Adrien. His expression was earnest, not a hint of dishonesty, and she’d never known him for a liar. She gave him a small appreciative smile, but then slyly added: “well, if I’m the everyday Ladybug, I need an every day Chat Noir…”

“Oh, any candidates for the position bugaboo?” he smirked, taking barely a second for his expression to slip into a playful one she’d seen on Chat’s face more than Adrien’s.

“Well, I was thinking someone who’s brave…”

“Of course.”

“Loyal to a fault!”

“Well that’s a given- “he tilted his chin up proudly.

“-and a truly terrible sense of humour!”

“Natur- _hey_ wait a minute!” Adrien jerked to look at her, and Mari fell back on the bed laughing. After a moment, Adrien snickered and began laughing too.

“My silly kitty” she eventually managed to say through her giggles, looking up at him.

Adrien raised an eyebrow, still grinning “insulting my impeccable sense of humour, Buginette? When I have it on good authority that you’re – what did Kim say, Chat Noir’s biggest fan?”

She frowned up at him with confusion for a moment, before realisation dawned on her and she gave him a horrified look. It was Adrien’s turn to lie on his back laughing beside her.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe Chat Noir saw my tattoo” she sounded appalled, slapping her hands against her cheeks, referring to the tattoo on the small of her back of the Chat paw print.

“Oh don’t be so sad ‘bug, I thought it was purr-fect” Adrien winked.

“Oh noooooo,” she covered her face completely, though he could still see she was redder than a tomato and he couldn’t help when a few more giggles escaped at her expense.

“I’m serious, I like the tattoo.”

“Of course, you like the tattoo” she sat up, snatching a cushion from behind her and slapping him with it. Adrien’s giggles turned into full laughter now, but he did eventually manage to take the weaponized cushion from her eventually.

“Do you want me to get a Ladybug tattoo to make it even?” he asked, giving her innocent eyes “I’ll let Alya design it so we match!”

“No” she gave him a flat look, clearly not as amused by the suggestion as he was. She decided to change the subject quickly, before he could try suggesting anything else “so… what happened after I passed out? Plagg and Tikki said you fought with Enenra?”

The amusement slipped from Adrien’s face and looked away, ashen-faced. “I… when I saw you lying there, I thought you where dead. I could see blood on the side of your face, I didn’t know it was just your ear and… I don’t know what came over me. I attacked her and it was like I couldn’t control myself. I… I hurt her. I really hurt her, but I was just so angry…”

“Adrien?” Mari muttered his name, touching his arm.

He faced her again, but he still looked unnerved by his own actions. “I was just so angry… I’m sorry. I know that’s not what we do, we don’t hurt people, but- “

“-Enenra has never held back from hurting us” Marinette interrupted him gently “we’d be stupid if we didn’t match her force with ours. We don’t go out intending to spill blood. You didn’t go out last night intending to hurt anyone anymore than I did, I know that. You did what you had to do to protect me, I understand Adrien.”

“No, it was more than that. It was more than just protecting you. I wanted to hurt her. I wanted to make her pay for touching you… honestly, if it hadn’t been for Plagg making the ring beep I don’t know if I would have snapped out of it before it was too late to get the venom out of you.”

Adrien was truly afraid of his own actions when he confronted Enenra on that rooftop. It was like his blood was on fire and his vision had gone red. He couldn’t help it. He thought she’d killed Ladybug…

“I don’t know if I can say I wouldn’t have reacted similarly if it was you lying there,” Marinette said slowly, with some thought. She’d never liked when Chat got hurt, and considering how he would throw himself in front of hits meant for her she knew that feeling he described all too well.

“Oh” Adrien remembered something, reaching for something on the nightstand beside him, he turned and held something out to her. “Your other earring… she dropped it when I tore a chunk out of her leg.”

The black stud fell into her palm and Marinette felt warm relief course through her. Truthfully, she had spared a momentary thought about how she and Tikki would manage with only one earring, having the other returned meant she didn’t have to worry. Still, she touched her bandaged ear lightly and winced at the sting of pain, it would be a while before she could wear the second stud again.

“Thank you” she mumbled, setting the earring down on the nightstand “so what happened then?”

“I brought you here. I didn’t know where else to take you, to keep you safe… Tikki held the transformation until we got here, then she started to purify the venom from you all on her own.”

Mari only now looked down when Adrien nodded to her shoulder, noticing the large bandage stuck across the spot where Enenra had stung her. She couldn’t feel any pain from the area, but there was an odd sensation of numbness she only noticed now.

“Yeah, and you better thank my sugarcube because purifying you like that is exhausting and dangerous for her!” Plagg piped up, paws on his hips.

“It wasn’t that big of a deal” Tikki yawned beside him, still looking exhausted “and with Master Fu gone, we didn’t have much choice. And I had Plagg to help, we were able to pass the dark energy between ourselves until it dissipated.”

“And I gave her plenty of cookies” Adrien added with a grin. “Plus, I managed to contact Carapace and Rena, I let them know what had happened and I advised them to patrol in a pair from now on. I don’t want Enenra cornering anyone else.”

Marinette nodded, petting Tikki absentmindedly as a thought occurred to her. “We should probably tell them not to take the usual patrol routes. I think that’s how Enenra found me… I was, uh, distracted. I was taking my usual route and I wasn’t paying attention because I know that route well. She was able to lie in wait for me… she could have been watching me on that route for a while to know the right spot…”

“Son of a bi- “Adrien caught himself before he swore, sitting up abruptly.

“Adrien?” she asked, surprised.

“My father…” he spoke in a heated tone, clenching his fists, “he told Enenra everything he knew about us, I’m betting our patrol routes too.”

“You don’t know- “she tried.

“-I do, Marinette” Adrien insisted, his voice resigned as he stood and began pacing the room, running a hand through his hair “I know him, Mari. He said he told her everything he knew; I can’t believe he wouldn’t know our routine patrol routes. They haven’t changed since we were fifteen!”

Marinette was now realising that when Chat Noir told her a friend of his had met with Gabriel, he’d actually meant that he himself had gone to see his father. She wondered why, knowing he’d refused the last six years, but she didn’t want to pry. She could understand why he was so angry, she felt anger and old hate for the senior Agreste bubble in her chest, but they didn’t know anything for sure…

She exchanged a look with the two Kwami’s while Adrien continued to pace, muttering. Tikki looked as worried as she felt, but Plagg… Plagg looked both resigned and angry, his triangular ears laid back against his head and his eyes slitted. She supposed that if anyone had more authority than her to have an opinion of Gabriel it was Plagg, since he’d been forced to live through everything Adrien had with the man.

She yawned suddenly, trying to hide it in her hand, but Adrien stopped pacing to stare at her.

“You need to rest,” he said, his voice an expression far gentler than they had been a moment ago.

“No…” Mari shook her head, though she’d be lying if she didn’t feel as though her eyelids were getting heavier by the second. “I’m okay for a bit longer, I don’t want to fall asleep while you're still upset.”

Adrien blinked. “I’m… I’m not upset…” he muttered, sitting on the bed beside her “I mean I’m… I’m angry. But I’ve been angry with him for a long time, so that’s nothing new. Don’t force yourself to stay awake for me, you need to rest and recover ‘bug.”

She wanted to argue, but she yawned again and heard Plagg snicker.

This time though, the yawn was catching, and Adrien was soon yawning as well looking embarrassed.

“Looks like we both need rest” Mari gave him a pointed look “especially if you’ve been up looking after me. I’ll sleep if you’ll sleep?”

“Alright” Adrien didn’t argue with her, letting out a soft laugh “but you’ll have to deal with sharing the bed. I’ve fallen asleep on my couch before, trust me, I’ve napped on rooftops that are comfier!”

“I was never going to suggest otherwise” she huffed, lying down as well. The second her head hit the soft pillow, sinking ever so slightly, Mari knew it wouldn’t be long before she fell asleep again. She and Adrien were facing one another, she could feel his gaze on her, but couldn’t seem to keep her eyes open long enough to return whatever look he was giving. She was surprised however when she felt his fingers trail across her cheek, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She felt him pull his hand away, but managed to pull her hand up and catch his before he pulled it back. Without prompting, they both entwined their fingers the other, letting their hands rest between them as they fell asleep, listening to the sound of the city beyond the bedroom windows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter because I didn't want to leave the cliffhanger too long. Plus, I wanted to keep it short and fluffy with relatively little angst. So, a chapter about finding out... there will probably be a bit more fallout than just this because let's face it. They're exhausted. Let the babies sleep.


	20. Chapter Twenty

Alya watched with a steady gaze over the brim of her coffee mug as Adrien flicked disinterestedly through one of the few bridal magazines she’d set out on the table, not blind enough to see his gaze would flick briefly towards Marinette every few seconds. Like the man was afraid she would disappear if he didn’t keep watching her. She had half a mind to call him on the behaviour, she wasn’t sure if Marinette had noticed it but if she had she didn’t say anything. Mari was too busy admiring veil designs in a different magazine. The only reason Alya didn’t say anything about Adrien’s half-assed attempt to hide his staring was because she got the sense there was something more to it than just being odd, and a tiny bit creepy. Adrien’s whole body seemed tense, despite the relaxed position he sat in. It was too forced. Alya had seen the same signs when she interviewed people, normally it was a sign to her that they could become defensive or even aggressive at the wrong question, ready to react at the drop of a pin, but with Adrien, she wasn’t quite so sure what the deal was… yet.

“Have you decided if you’ll wear a veil Alya?” Marinette asked, startling the redhead out of her thoughts.

“Oh, um, I don’t think so. I’m going to be wearing my grandmother’s dress and I just don’t think I could have a veil made to match before the date we want…”

Marinette frowned at that “you’ve already decided on a date for your wedding? How long? I’m sure we could find someone_”

“-one month.”

“A month?!” Marinette and Adrien exclaimed together, sharing a look of surprise.

Alya almost laughed. Both her family and Nino’s had a similar reaction when they’d announced the plan to them too. “Yep, one month.”

“Why so soon?” Adrien asked, cocking his head quizzically “I know I’m not an expert but don’t people usually wait longer?”

“We figured we’ve waited long enough” Alya gave a half shrug, grinning “we’ve been together for nearly ten years guys, if signing a piece of paper is going to make any difference to us then it doesn’t matter if we do it tomorrow or in another ten years. I just want to be able to call Nino my ‘idiot husband’ instead of my ‘idiot boyfriend’. Besides… you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. I don’t want to put off the wedding longer and have something happen to one of us. Plus we don’t need a big extravagant wedding. We want our friends, our family, and a good time.”

Marinette sighed, resting her chin on her hand. Alya was right in a way, a piece of paper or a formal ceremony wasn’t going to change the relationship she and Nino had. It was a beautiful sentiment really, to how strong their relationship really was.

“I could make a veil for you in that time” she offered her friend. She was vaguely aware of Adrien blinking dumbly beside her, like he was still stunned by the short time frame.

“Nah, honestly as much as I said I don’t need one I think my mom is going to get one made anyway. She was pretty insistent I leave all the actual dress stuff with her” Alya pulled a face “I think she’s secretly a little upset I want to wear my grandmother’s dress instead of buying a new one, but it really is a beautiful dress.”

“I don’t doubt” Marinette agreed, tucking a strand of her escaped hair behind her ear. The simple action drew Adrien’s gaze back towards the dark-haired girl, especially when she let out a slight hiss when she touched her still bandaged ear, his eyes narrowing at the delicate sound.

“What happened to your ear?” Alya asked. She hadn’t heard the hiss, the sound was too soft for anyone but Adrien to hear, but she noticed the little white strip of bandage tape covering the lobe when Mari tucked her hair behind her ear.

Marinette almost glanced at Adrien. Almost. She caught herself in time, knowing Alya would have caught the small look and probably never believe the lie she was about to give her if they exchanged a look.

“A guy tried to mug me” the fib fell easily from her lips, which she felt a bit guilty for, but years of being Ladybug had made her a skilled liar. She tried not to feel too bad, lying to the people in her life about her secret identity was a necessity to keep them safe after all. Besides, they had tried to come up with a cover story that was as similar to the truth as they dared get. “I didn’t have anything worth taking so he tried to take my earrings and tore the lobe.”

“What! Oh my god, are you okay? Why didn’t you tell me sooner!” Alya half-shouted, leaning over the table to take a better look at Marinette. The dark-haired girl looked a bit bewildered, but didn’t put up too much of a fight when Alya reached out to turn her head and get a better look at her ear. She then seemed to cast her gaze down, giving her a full inspection, and only nodded once she was satisfied nothing else seemed broken.

“It wasn’t a big deal, I got my earring back” Marinette shrugged, catching Adrien’s stare when he glanced up at her again “Chat Noir was passing by and helped me out.”

Alya sat back heavily in her seat, sucking in a breath. “Chat Noir…?”

“Is that a problem?” Adrien raised an eyebrow, noticing Alya’s tone “I thought you liked Chat Noir?”

Drumming her fingers on the table Alya shrugged “I don’t dislike him. I’m just still wondering about his whole disappearance after Hawkmoth and coming back suddenly like this. I still have questions.”

“But what if his reasons are private?” Mari asked, lifting her mug to her lips and taking a sip.

“Then I guess I’ll always have questions,” Alya told them, grabbing one of the bridal magazines off the table and opening it to a random page. She didn’t see the look Marinette and Adrien exchanged over their mugs.

After a few moments of silence between the three of them, Alya asked “so, is that why tall, blonde and grumpy has crashed our coffee date?”

“I am not grumpy” Adrien scowled, causing both girls to snicker.

“Oh please, I haven’t seen you smile once all morning, in fact, you seem very distracted” Alya gave him a look, glancing between him and Marinette who’d turned her attention back to the magazines.

Adrien felt his face flush, realising Alya had obviously caught him staring at Marinette, but he couldn’t help it. It had only been two days since Enenra’s attack, Marinette insisted she needed to get up and go about her civilian life as normal but she was still weakened by the effects of the venom and so was Tikki. He’d be willing to bet his entire fortune the little red Kwami was sleeping like the dead in Marinette’s purse right now. Neither of them was in any fit state to defend themselves if they had to. He and Plagg agreed on this matter, they couldn’t risk anything happening to either of them again.

He’d surprised her when he turned up to her coffee date with Alya this morning, but she hadn’t turned him away which he was glad of. The weather had taken a drastic turn and freezing sheets of sleet were raining down across the city – not the kind of weather he fancied for sitting on rooftops and stalking her from afar.

Besides, being sat next to her offered him the chance to really take her condition in up close. She was still paler than usual (something she’d chalked up to the cold when Alya commented on it), and she was moving more stiffly than she normally did. There were bags under her eyes, and despite her seemingly chipper attitude, there was a slight waver in her voice that made it clear how tired she was.

Despite what she’d told him after she’d insisted he take her home, and had eventually kicked him out of her apartment (not that she needed to know, but he hadn’t gone far and had stayed in his car across the road where he could see her windows, not caring if he looked like a creep) Marinette was not fine.

“Well, fine. I came to help you pick out flowers for your wedding but if you’re going to call me grumpy I don’t see why I should bother to offer you my expertise” Adrien sniffed, doing his best impression of Chloe in an effort to act offended.

Both girls laughed again, though Marinette’s turned into a mild coughing fit that made Adrien’s head snap towards her. She waved off his concern, taking a deep drink from her mug. Alya didn’t notice anything amiss, standing from the table and tossing her magazine towards Adrien. “Here then Sunshine, dazzle me with your flower-skills and pick out a few options while I go to the bathroom.”

“I will, you’ll be in awe of my flower picking skills and bow down to me as the saviour of your wedding Cesaire!” Adrien called after her as she walked away, the sound of her laughter clear despite the other sounds in the little café, neither of them caring when people turned to look.

“You know, you don’t have to follow me around,” Marinette said once Alya was out of earshot, keeping her voice low so only Adrien would hear her. “I seriously doubt Enenra is going to attack me in a random coffee shop, considering she still doesn’t know my identity.”

“Doesn’t matter” Adrien replied firmly in a low tone too, opening the magazine Alya had left and browsing the contents page until he found something about flowers and flicked to it. “I- we came too close to losing you… besides, I know your still not feeling better and I know Tikki hasn’t fully recovered either. So you better suck it up Bugaboo because I’m not leaving you alone again.”

Marinette stared at him, but he seemed to either be ignoring her or very invested in the flower article he was reading and didn’t so much as a glance in her direction. Part of her wanted to be annoyed with him. Who was he to say she couldn’t take care of herself? She’d been through more than he knew in the six years he was gone and she’d made it through without his help. But she would be a stubborn fool if she didn’t admit that half the sticky situations she’d gotten in probably wouldn’t have happened in the first place if she’d had someone watching her back. It also helped curb her ire that Plagg had gone into great detail once she’d woken up again after the attack about how worried Adrien had been while she was unconscious. Adrien staunchly denied it was as embarrassing as his kwami made out, but he’d seemed speechless when Tikki had backed up everything Plagg had said. Including the crying. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about Adrien crying over her, but the fact he cared as much as he obviously did warmed her heart enough not to be angry with him.

Which frustrated her, because his newfound urge to babysit her was rather irritating. Not that she didn’t love his company, except his current company was more… on alert than usual. The first fifteen minutes after his arrival at the coffee shop, Marinette had noticed him flinching slightly at every loud noise, not like he was afraid of it, but like he was ready to jump up and fight. She understood, she really did, if it had been him Enenra had attacked Mari wasn’t sure she could have set him out of her sight at all either, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t beginning to feel a little desperate for breathing space.

“Tikki and I can defend ourselves just fine thank you” she settled for muttering, aware it was more out of irritation and stubbornness.

Adrien probably knew that, which was no doubt why he reached out under the table and patted her knee gently and muttered back “I know you can, but you don’t have to” without looking up from the magazine. Marinette had jumped terribly at the unexpected touch, knocking the little round table they sat at and sloshing their mugs, but he pretended not to notice with a small grin.

She noticed his grin, about to comment on how he’d probably made her jump on purpose, but was interrupted before she could.

“Oh good, your both here already!”

They looked up to find a very cold and wet Nino removing his sodden jacket as he dropped into the fourth chair at their table, looking far too cheerful considering the rainwater dripping off his hair and onto his glasses. He shook his head like a dog, sending cold droplets everywhere, while Marinette and Adrien made noises of protest at the splatter.

“Whhy?!” Marinette groaned at Nino, holding up the magazine now wrinkled by the drops of rainwater.

“Sharing is caring dude” Nino laughed “where’s Alya? I know she’s here, I saw her packing up those magazines this morning.”

“Bathroom” Adrien chuckled, “she asked me to pick out flowers for your wedding.”

“Flowers?” Nino raised an eyebrow. “Yknow I totally forgot flowers where like, a thing, for weddings to be honest.”

“Did I hear flowers, are you ready to share your expertise Sunshine?” Alya reappeared, sliding into her seat seamlessly and leaning over to kiss Nino.

“Actually. Yes. I warned you Cesaire, prepare to be blown away” Adrien crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his seat and meeting the redhead's challenging stare.

“Ah-ah, it’ll be Cesaire-Lahiffe” Nino interjected.

“Yeah, so blow us both away model boy.”

Adrien didn’t seem at all perturbed by the challenge, giving them a half shrug before tapping a picture on one of the magazines and telling them “Larkspur.”

“Larkspur?” Alya raised an eyebrow, looking at the picture of the tall white plant with star-shaped flowers he was pointing at “alright, I’ll admit its pretty, but I’m not dazzled yet.”

The blonde grinned “because I haven’t told you why yet, my, my, so impatient. Every flower has a language, in that language, Larkspur just so happens to stand for ‘love’, ‘affection’ and ‘strong attachment’. Depending on your colour scheme, I’d suggest either white flowers which stand for ‘happiness’ or purple, which stands for ‘first love’. Given what I’ve seen of your relationship, that’s the flower I’d choose for you. Plus I know a guy who’d give you a very good deal at only a months’ notice.”

Nino grinned, raising his eyebrows, but gave Alya a sideways glance for her reaction. The redhead waited a moment, keeping Adrien’s gaze, before she looked away with only a slight smirk “alright fine Agreste, I concede, you’ve impressed me with your shocking knowledge of flowers.”

“Of course I have” Adrien was smirking too, catching Marinette’s gaze he gave he a wink that made her stomach flutter, a feeling she tried to dampen as she looked away from him quickly. There was just something about his cocky expression that warmed her… and that wasn’t allowed. He was her friend. He was Adrien, her friend. He was Chat Noir, her partner. She’d gotten over her crush a long time ago, she couldn’t risk becoming a sputtering mess around him again. No way.

“Sooo…” Nino said almost gleefully, giving Alya a look and changing the subject. For a brief second Alya looked confused, then she had a lightbulb moment and began grinning too.

“Yeah, thanks hon I almost forgot! So, there’s another reason I asked Marinette to coffee today… Adrien I didn’t expect you to tag along but actually, it’s quite nice to be able to tell you together so I told Nino to come over-“

“-We want to ask you guys to be our Best Man and Maid of Honour!” Nino almost shouted, giving them both a megawatt grin, adding with a glance towards Alya “sorry babe, I couldn’t hold it in any longer.”

“I know babe, your very excited” Alya laughed, giving his shoulder a rub and shaking her head with amusement.

Marinette and Adrien watched them with slack-jawed shock, both suffering their own surprise by the request. Marinette had really expected Alya to choose one of her sisters as Maid of Honour…

“Well, neither of you are saying anything?” Alya laughed, looking between Adrien and Marinette’s shocked faces, and when they still didn’t react she glanced at Nino “babe, I think we broke them?”

“No! – Uhm – I mean, I’m not broken just shocked” Marinette was the first to recover, wiping a hand over her face self-consciously “I didn’t expect to be asked, but of course I’ll be your Maid of Honour Alya! You’re my best friend!”

“You're my best friend too, that’s why I want you to be the one on my side at my wedding,” Alya said, and the girls shared an honest (if slightly tearful, though they both refused to let those tears be shed) smile.

Nino was still focused on Adrien, the shock seemed to have worn off but now the blonde man was staring at the table apprehensively. “Dude?” Nino nudged him slightly “don’t leave a bro hanging?”

“I, uh, well… I just mean, are you sure you want me?” Adrien managed to spit out, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Surely Nino had better options than him, after how hurt he’d been when he left, their recently repaired relationship was going great but Adrien didn’t think he deserved such an honour in Nino’s wedding…

“You’re my best friend dude” Nino reached up, clasping Adrien’s shoulder firmly to make the blonde look at him “you’re like my brother. Sure we’ve had ups and downs… like some really big ups and downs, but you’re still a brother to me. I want you to be my best man Adrien… but if you’re not comfortable with it I’ll understand?”

Adrien gaped at Nino for a second before he returned his gaze to the table, staring hard at the polished wood as he thought hard about the decision. Did he want to stand up for Nino? Of course, he did, with all his heart, but maybe it wouldn’t be such a good idea… their old school friends were fine with him, but how would Alya and Nino’s families feel seeing the face of a criminal-supervillain’s son in the wedding party? Perhaps it would be better if he just attended as a guest, or at least keep better peace for his friend’s wedding…

Beside him, Marinette was watching Adrien closely from the corner of her eye. He was doing it again. She could tell now, from his expressions, because Chat Noir wore the same expressions. He was thinking badly of himself, she just knew he was. She could almost see the ghost of leather cat ears lying flat in his hair, recognising it as a Chat expression on his face was so strange without the mask or the cat’s eyes, but recognise it she did. He looked so much younger in that second to her, because it had mostly been when they were teenagers when she would find Chat Noir on some high rooftop sitting with that exact expression. He’d talk to her about how he felt his father was always disappointed in him, never had time for him, that he wasn’t good enough to earn that love or approval. Her heart had ached for him back then, and it still did now knowing his identity only made her all too aware of how bad Adrien/Chat Noir’s home life had been sometimes. He needed to know that love and approval shouldn’t have to be earned. He should have it anyway.

Under the table Marinette reached out and clasped his hand in hers, feeling the slightest jolt of surprise from him, bother otherwise neither of them reacting. After a second or two, Adrien turned his hand to entwine his fingers with hers and squeezed it, perhaps in thanks to the unspoken support.

He finally dragged his eyes up to meet Nino’s hopeful ones again. “Are you really sure you want me to be your best man?”

“Absolutely.”

“We both want you up there with us Adrien” Alya nodded, though she didn’t look half as keen as Nino did.

“Then… how can I say no?”

“Yes! Bro! Thank you!” Nino pulled him in for a one-armed hug, making Adrien laugh.

“Why are you thanking me, I should be thanking you, it’s your wedding!”

“Because now I have my best-bro to help me write my vows, and I need your expertise on puns because I can’t think of any decent wedding ones!”

“Oh no,” Alya groaned, sending everyone into laughter.

“Wait you said you only have a month until the wedding?” Marinette remembered, beginning to fret “but that doesn’t leave a lot of time to prepare, quick what does a maid of honour actually have to do?”

“Calm down ‘Nette” Nino and Alya chuckled, leaning on one another “almost everything is taken care of. We’ve got a venue, I’m going to DJ, Alya’s got her dress, we’ve already talked to your parents about a wedding cake – I’m actually a little worried your dad is going to get way too carried away with it, he was very keen. The only thing we want you two to plan is the Bachelor and Bachelorette parties.”

“Really?” Adrien raised an eyebrow.

Nino thought about it, smirking “oh well, it’s also tradition for the maid of honour and best man to be each other’s dates and hook up at the wedding after drinking too much, we expect you to do that too.”

“What!?” Both Marinette and Adrien yelped, turning a bright shade of red as they look frantically at one another, their friends, and then around the coffee shop like some random stranger would save them.

“Calm down, we’re kidding. Only do that if you want to” Alya snickered.

****

Later in the evening, Marinette sat on her sofa with her legs tucked under her, a blanket around her shoulders, and Tikki lounging on a cushion with a cookie twice her size right beside her. She wasn’t sure if – after their coffee with Nino and Alya – she’s successfully convinced Adrien she was perfectly safe in her home or if the fact he’d been dragged into a last-minute meeting at work was why she was blissfully alone (except Tikki of course).

Her phone buzzed. A glance over told her it was another text from Adrien making sure she was okay, making her sigh as she responded she was fine and just planning to stay home for the night. Again.

“Is that Adrien again?” Tikki asked, a knowing lilt in her voice.

“Yeah, checked I’m okay again” Mari mumbled, putting her phone back down and retrieving her sketchbook off the coffee table in front of them.

“I think it's sweet, how he wants to protect you.”

“It is sweet, but I…. I don’t know, it’s a bit frustrating I think? I’m not used to someone hovering over me like that anymore… I mean, besides you Tikki.”

Tikki giggled, taking a bite out of her cookie “he’s just worried.”

“I know that” Marinette sighed, tapping her pencil against the sketch pad as an idea formed in her head. After a moment she started sketching out a model before she’d start on the design in her mind. “I appreciate he’s worried, I’d probably feel just as protective if it been the other way around and he was the one who was attacked, but having him so close all the time… and knowing he’s Chat Noir, I don’t know. It’s like… the more time I spend with him the more comfortable I get with him.”

“I don’t understand, what’s so bad about that?” Tikki frowned, visibly confused.

“It’s not bad, per say it’s just… I want to be cautious. I used to have a huge, embarrassing, obsessive crush on Adrien. Chat Noir used to have a huge, embarrassing, obsessive crush on Ladybug…”

“Ahh” Tikki nodded, taking another bite from her cookie “you’re worried your old feelings could affect your new relationship with him?”

“I … guess?”

“Hmm” Tikki rubbed her chin, then shrugged “I really don’t think it’s anything you need to worry about Marinette. What are you doing?”

“I’m going to ask Alya if I can design the bridesmaid’s dresses. Kind of like my gift for her wedding, and I know she mentioned not having the dresses for me and her sisters yet.” Marinette tilted the sketchbook so Tikki could see the rough sketch of the dresses outline “and don’t change the subject, why don’t you think I need to worry?”

“Because your old feelings are nothing bad, embarrassing perhaps, but they’re a solid foundation for your newfound feelings too. Besides, it’s romantic. You were in love with each other even if you didn’t realise it, and then years later without knowing it you both fell in love with each other all over again!”

The tip of Marinette’s pencil snapped when she pressed down too hard on the paper from surprise at her Kwami’s words, but she barely noticed. She was staring at Tikki, who’s attention was completely on the Disney movie currently playing on the TV and thus oblivious to her chosen’s gaping expression. Whoever said she was in love with Adrien again? As a matter of fact, who said he was in love with her at all? They were friends. Partners. Co-workers. Boss and employee. So many labels for what they were, and ‘in love with each other’ wasn’t one of them. Tikki had no idea what she was talking about.

Right?

Sure, Adrien was easy to be around. She enjoyed his company, and she missed him when he wasn’t around. She even enjoyed his puns – not something she’d ever admit to his face mind you. When he wasn’t around she thought about him often, but that didn’t mean anything, things just… happen to remind her of him. Maybe it was seeing a yellow flower that reminded her of his hair or the grass that reminded her of his eyes or when that man walked past her on the street the other day smelling of a similar cologne, though Adrien’s was much nicer, and she suddenly wanted to smell him again and…

…

.. Oh no.

No, she couldn’t be falling for him again, she just couldn’t.

A knock on the door made both Marinette and Tikki jump. With a single exchanged glance, Marinette got up off the sofa, wrapping the blanket more firmly around her shoulders, and Tikki stuffed the last of her cookie in her mouth before floating up to hide on the shelves.

She did vaguely wonder who would be visiting her unannounced, but she needn’t have bothered trying to guess.

Adrien looked a little sheepish as he stood in the hallway, a bag of delicious smelling Chinese food clutched in his arms. He rubbed his neck as he told her “I might have ducked out of the meeting a tad early, but it’s not like they actually needed me to go over fabric pricing… and I thought you might be hungry?”

Marinette stared at him. It was like seeing him in a new light all of a sudden. His eyes seemed brighter, his hair messy but thick enough it almost seemed to be begging her to run her fingers through and see if it really was as soft as it looked. Had he always looked that adorable when he did the whole neck-scratch thing? Her fourteen-year-old self was screaming yes, and her adult self was telling her not to pretend like she never noticed before…

“Marinette?” Adrien was frowning. Crap, she’d been so busy staring she’d forgotten to reply.

Trying to ignore her pounding heart, as well as the heat burning her cheeks, Marinette tore her gaze away and stepped aside to invite him in. “Sorry, I, uh, I mean y-yeah. Sure, I could eat.”

Adrien took a single step into the apartment, letting the am holding the bag of food drop to his side, he completely encroached on her personal space which made Marinette blink in surprise by his sudden closeness and lookup. He was so close she could swear she could see every shade of green to his beautiful eyes…

“Are you sure you’re alright Marinette?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow “you look a bit flushed, your fever hasn’t come back has it?” he almost lifted his hand to touch her face and check himself, but thought better of it at the last moment. She was giving him an odd wide-eyed stare, like he’d startled her, but he didn’t know why.

“I-I’m fine. I swear. I just… the knock. When you knocked on the door, it uh- it scared me. I wasn’t expecting anyone so…” she trailed off lamely, looking at the floor. It was a stupid excuse, but the only one she could think of.

“Ah” Adrien nodded, finally stepping away and further into the apartment. Marinette felt like she could breathe again now that he wasn’t crowding her space, so she took a few deep lungful’s as she shut the door and followed him, making sure to keep a respectable amount of space between them of course. “I’m sorry Marinette, I should have thought… I mean you were just attacked, of course, you’re going to be a bit wary…”

Oh, maybe her lie was more believable that she thought. Now she felt bad for not actually being startled in the first place.

Adrien still had his back to her, taking the bag of food into her kitchen, when Plagg appeared out of the collar of his long coat. The black cat Kwami regarded her with a smirk, folding his paws over his chest, and not looking at all like he believed her lie for even a second. His expression changed a little once he spotted Tikki sitting on the shelf, but he couldn’t resist muttering to Marinette as he flew past her ear “yeah, scared, that’s what that blush is for right LB?”

Marinette threw him a glare over her shoulder, but the two kwami’s where far too interested in one another to notice her at all.

“Mari?” Adrien drew her attention back to him again, a look of genuine concern on his face “are you sure you’re alright?”

“I’m okay, I’m just tired, I swear. You don’t need to keep worrying about me Adrien, I promise.”

“I don’t need to, but I will,” he told her seriously, his stare never wavering, and Marinette felt that blush on her cheeks burn just a little brighter as her heart hammered. Oblivious to this, Adrien turned away “go sit down while I get the food ready, you should be resting.”

She did as she was told without complaint, not sure she’d be able to string out a coherent sentence now that butterflies seemed to have taken a permanent residence in her stomach. Dammit, why did Tikki have to point out her burgeoning feelings? She was perfectly happy being oblivious before this! Besides, she couldn’t go through that again. It had broken her heart when Adrien rejected her, but she knew doing it had hurt him too. She couldn’t be the cause of that again. She wouldn’t.

Whatever she felt would remain a secret from him, from Alya, from Nino, from everybody. It didn’t matter. Their friendship was more important to her than anything else.

They were just friends.

“Should I get you a drink?” Adrien called out from the kitchen.

“I think I have juice in the fridge!” Marinette called back.

“Found it! Alright, be prepared for one fancy feast courtesy of the Chinese down the street!” he grinned, poking his head around the corner for a second before disappearing again. Marinette couldn’t resist the slight grin that found its way onto her face at the action. It was just so Chat like.

Yep.

Just friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no, I used the dreaded 'just friends' phrase.   
> The only difference is, Marinette is the one saying it haha
> 
> Sorry for the delayed update. My puppy tore a ligament in her shoulder so between working in a hospital during a pandemic and spending all my free time nursing her back to health (and trust me, keeping a seven-month-old german shepherd puppy 'calm' and 'still' is one hell of a job) I've been falling asleep after barely writing a paragraph here or there! So, If any parts of this chapter feel a bit jumbled, sleep deprivation was the ghostwriter for the scene and let's blame it!


	21. Chapter Twenty-one

“-and with no new attacks, a cautious peace has settled over the city of Paris these past two weeks, leaving the public wondering, is the worst finally over?”

Marinette scoffed, trying not to spit the pins she held between her lips everywhere as she did so. She was working on the bridesmaid dresses she’d begun preparing for Alya and Nino’s wedding in her sewing room, but Tikki had the news on the television in the sitting room and Marinette was able to hear the new report very clearly. It was all the usual kind of stuff; world news, sports, weather, but eventually they’d spoken about the distinct lack of attacks on the actual city itself of late.

It was true, Enenra hadn’t attacked the city in two weeks since her attack on Ladybug. Considering Chat Noir claimed he’d hurt her quite badly during their fighting while she was unconscious, Marinette wasn’t all that surprised. She didn’t know the details of what had happened, but Adrien seemed disturbed with himself whenever it was brought up.

It didn’t mean their guard was let down any mind. Adrien had forced Marinette to take a week off from her duties as Ladybug, to give Tikki time to recover as well as herself (though he claimed it was just for Tikki, probably knowing she’d argue if he told her it was just for her). He, Carapace and Rena Rogue had been patrolling as a trio during that week, despite being more of them, the patrol still took longer since they refused to split up to avoid anyone being singled out again. Adrien said it had gone fine, but Ladybug had heard from Carapace that there was still some friction between Chat Noir and Rena Rogue. The second week after her attack, both Marinette and Tikki were feeling well enough to resume patrolling again so partners had gone back to normal. Four days of the week Ladybug and Chat patrolled, and three days Rena and Carapace did.

Marinette had needed to get her ear re-pierced so she could wear both her earrings again. The tear on her lobe where Enenra had tried to rip the miraculous away from her had mostly healed, if you didn’t count to crusty scab, but the flesh there was unlikely to fuse together again and repair completely. She’d forever have a notch in her ear, and as a result of her earrings were slightly wonky if anyone cared enough to notice. She still felt self-conscious about it, occasionally finding herself touching her ear when she wasn’t paying attention to her own actions, despite the way the woman who’d done her new piercing telling her it made her look badass.

“Did you say something Marinette?” Tikki was hovering in the doorway, apparently summoned when she’d heard a noise from the spare bedroom. Upon looking, the kwami’s eyes became huge and she clasped her paws to her cheeks “ _ohmygosh_ that dress looks amazing! Alya’s going to be so happy you offered to make the bridesmaid dresses for her! You’re going to look beautiful!”

Taking the pins from between her lips and setting them on the nearby table safely, Marinette chuckled at her kwami as she zoomed into the room, doing loops around the dress. “Thanks, Tikki, but this one isn’t mine. Alya wanted her sisters to be bridesmaids too, remember? This one is for Nora.”

“Well, I’m sure she’ll love it!”

“I hope so. What time is it?”

“Oh, that was another reason I came in here, it’s nearly time to meet Adrien for patrol!”

A glance at her phone told her Tikki wasn’t lying. In fact, another few minutes and she’d probably have been late to their agreed meeting spot for the evening. They’d had to change up their usual meeting spots, neither of them wanted to risk being alone waiting if the other was late, and tonight’s spot was actually a bit further away from her apartment than usual so she needed to set off soon.

Surprisingly she hadn’t missed any messages from Adrien himself. His texts and calls had been on a nearly predictable schedule since her attack, so this surprised her. Then again, since she’d realised that her old feelings for him were beginning to come back Marinette had been trying to maintain that wall between them. She knew Adrien didn’t feel that way for her, nor did she want him to start blurring the line between his old crush on Ladybug and his feelings for her as Marinette. Yes, she and Ladybug where one and the same, but she didn’t want to be loved only for who she was in the mask. She was more than that. She threw her walls up carefully, not wanting to push him away but maintaining a clear boundary, for her that had meant putting a limit on the pushy overprotective habits he’d begun developing. Like texting her constantly to be sure she was safe.

Then again his other habit, showing up at her apartment unexpectedly as both Adrien and Chat, had been much harder to stop. Turns out a closed window meant very little to him if it wasn’t locked- and since she used hers fairly often as an entrance/exit herself she didn’t often remember about the lock. Twice she’d woken up to him in her kitchen making coffee and unpacking a bag of croissants from her parent’s bakery. It was sweet, but having Adrien acting all domestic in her own kitchen had given her all sorts of bad thoughts. Now she usually ignored him if he randomly appeared in her kitchen at mealtimes, usually heading straight for the bathroom to shower so she had a reason to escape the sight. Her imagination didn’t need any more fuel.

He was probably caught up with work and that’s why had hadn’t messaged her, she reasoned, trying to bury the pang of disappointment with the fact she shouldn’t feel disappointed in the first place. They were just friends after all.

Satisfied with the base design of the dress (she still needed to go over a few things with Alya later) Marinette fed Tikki a cookie and transformed, using the sewing room window to leave her apartment and climb up to the rooftop where she got free roam of the city.

She’d be lying if she didn’t say there was a certain twitch she now felt as she raced over the rooftops, the sun setting in the horizon, and the shadows getting longer. While her faith in herself did not waver, she was confident about every footstep and throw of her yoyo, she couldn’t seem to help the sense of caution when she saw a particularly shadowy spot coming up on her path, or deviating completely if she was to go past a place a person could easily hide, half expecting to feel blinding pain again at any second as another attack came before she could notice…

Thankfully the only thing that leapt out of the shadows at her were a few pigeons once she landed at their agreed spot, which to her embarrassment caused her to jump terribly.

“My, My Bugaboo, I didn’t know those pesky birds frightened you so badly! Do you want me to hunt them all down for you?” a warm voice greeted her, and she looked up to find Chat Noir sprawled out of his back along a wall, typically in one of the last patches of sunlight the evening had to offer, his leather belted tail curling with satisfaction while he smiled down at her. Despite the warm tone, concern was still evident in his voice, and she knew he’d made light of the way she’d reacted on purpose. 

“I’d never ask that of you kitty, not with your terrible allergies, but I suppose if you sneezed loudly enough they’d leave of their own accord” she responded with a smile, tugging on his tail lightly. Of course, at the slight tug, he dramatically rolled towards her, falling from the ledge and predictably landing on all fours. Flashing her a grin he stood in a single fluid motion, crowding her personal space a little as their shoulders bumped, and looking down at her.

“Ahh, my one weakness. Well, that and pastries… now you know both my weaknesses ‘bug!”

“I won’t tell” Ladybug couldn’t help but laugh at his stricken expression, flicking his bell playfully. It was nice to see him tease her again.

Chat grinned down at her, a true full smile, before he let it slip from his expression again and coughed into his fist. “I, eh, I’m sorry I didn’t message you earlier. I got caught up with something at work…”

Ladybug looked away with a shrug “it’s no problem, really.”

Looking down at her, Chat allowed himself to frown ever so slightly. Marinette had been acting oddly for a while now, and he wasn’t sure if she realised. She didn’t reply to his messages as often as she used to, or she kept her answers short. When he visited her she sometimes excused herself to shower or to do something in her sewing room (she refused to let him into the room while she was working on the bridesmaid dresses). She seemed less willing to touch him, whereas she had previously had no qualms about linking her arm through his when they walked or even when she’d held his hand in the coffee shop and encouraged him to accept Nino’s offer to be best man, she now kept any touches fleeting or would go out of her way to seemingly avoid touching him at all. At first, he thought he was imagining the behaviour, but with how often he was visiting her home now he’d decided to experiment a little, invading her space to see her reaction (without doing anything that would obviously be unwelcome of course) and handing her things. She avoided his touch wherever possible, he was sure of it. It confused him, and if he was honest, hurt him a little though he tried to hide that part. He’d expected that now they had discovered each other’s secret identities that their dynamic would change, he guessed he’d hoped it would change for the better, but if she wanted to push him away was he really in his rights to stop her?

But maybe _he_ wasn’t the problem here. She had just suffered a rather brutal attack, after all, one that left her with a small but permanent scar, and he couldn’t begin to fathom what might be going on in her head in regards to that. Plus he did confess to assaulting her attacker rather brutally himself, could he really blame her if she thought a bit differently of him after that?

Shaking himself of these thoughts, he bumped her shoulder with his own and asked: “are you ready for this?”

Turning to look back up at him with a slight frown, she responded “for what? It’s just a patrol, and meeting Carapace and Rena afterwards. I’ve done this a lot kitty.”

“Just checking” one of his triangular ear’s twitched slightly, his tone teasing “I don’t mind taking the lead if you don’t feel up to it tonight is all.”

She raised an eyebrow “you already lead _with_ me Chat. We’re partners.”

He shrugged “yeah, but we both know I’ll follow you wherever you go, my lady.”

On the ledge of the building they stood on, Ladybug froze. She wasn’t quite sure what it was. Perhaps it was the old ‘my lady’ sneaking into his rebuilt repertoire of nicknames to call her by, or the way he told her he’d follow her wherever she went in a tone so serious, so matter-o-factly, it really made her believe him.

Looking back at him over her shoulder, his hair almost blending in with the sunlight hitting the brick wall behind him, turning his eyes into glittering emeralds, Ladybug could only grin at him. “Better start following then kitty!”

She leapt off the rooftop in a graceful dive, launching her yoyo to the next rooftop at the exact time she heard Chat laugh, knowing he was right behind her. This time she didn’t avoid the shadows, or flinch at unsuspecting birds. She knew if anything happened, her partner had her back, and if she ever forgot that it didn’t matter. He was there, running along the rooftops right beside her, a glint in his eye and a sly grin on his face.

Honestly, it was doing nothing for her plan to keep space between them.

By the time they finished their patrol of the city, taking a previously discussed zig-zag like route that had their limbs and lungs burning, night had completely fallen. Still, they made it to the Arc de Triomphe, where they had agreed to meet the other two, before anyone else arrived.

“Urgh” Chat groaned, falling to the flat surface of the arc and stretching out after he landed “I’m going to feel that run in the morning, ooft, who’d expected the rooftops on that trail to be so steep? Because I sure didn’t!”

Ladybug snickered, sure her own legs burned with the effort of their patrol had used, but apparently not quite as terribly as Chat’s did. Still, she decided to sit while they waited, and knelt down close to where he lay. “You’re just out of practice you silly cat.”

“Out of practice?!” he turned to her indignantly “I’ll have you know I’m in purr-fect shape.”

“Is that shape a pancake?”

“Hey!”

Ladybug laughed loudly as he pretended to drag himself closer to swat at her knee in mock offence, his grin betraying the fact he wasn’t really annoyed by the comment at all.

“What happened to Chat?” Carapaces deep tone interrupted the laughter as they turned, finding the turtle and fox hero’s had arrived, Rena apparently having helped Carapace up to their meeting place. They both seemed to be taking in the scene before them with some confusion, but while Carapace was also smiling, Rena wore a far more serious expression.

“Nothing happened, he’s just being lazy” Ladybug stuck her tongue out at him. He did it back, pulling himself up into a seated position beside her.

“No change there then” Rena muttered, kneeling down opposite Ladybug, and swiftly changing the subject once she spotted her torn ear. This was the first time Carapace and Rena was seeing her outside of a video call since the attack, and Rena winced seeing the small tear. “How are you feeling LB? That looks like it would’ve stung!”

“I’m fine” Ladybug shrugged. It was a lie, anyone who believed her was a fool, but it was the kind of answer that told people she didn’t want to talk about it right now even if it was a lie. Wisely, Rena gave her a doubtful look, but dropped the subject.

“We’ve not seen anything of Enenra since she attacked you” Carapace also eyeballed her ear, but looked away quicker than Rena did.

“I don’t think we will for a while, if we’re lucky,” Ladybug told them, sighing “thankfully when I was unconscious Chat arrived… there was a fight, Enenra didn’t leave unscathed.”

Three sets of eyes turned to Chat and he suddenly felt himself getting a little warm under his collar, his ears lying flatter his hair at the sudden attention.

“Dude” Carapace finally said, “what’d you do to her?”

“I…” he cleared his throat, glancing sideways at Ladybug. He’d already told her the details of course, but it wasn’t something he was proud of, and he was sure she wasn’t proud of him for hurting their opponent either. She’d never encouraged violence before, he doubted that would change now. Her expression, however, was frustratingly unreadable, leaving him uncertain still. “I… I tried to use cataclysm. I wanted to destroy the chimney behind her, I wanted it to collapse on her long enough for me to get Ladybug out of there but I… I missed. I didn’t touch her, not _properly_ , but cataclysm is a destructive force and it’s hard to wield sometimes. I caught Enenra’s leg, I don’t know what happened, cataclysm must’ve made the scratch from my claws worse somehow. It tore a chunk out of her calf. She wasn’t in a great condition when she escaped…”

Ladybug, who had heard this before, stared down into her lap and couldn’t help but wonder just how much of their abilities they still hadn’t explored for Chat to be mystified by how his cataclysm had turned a simple scratch into a much more destructive force. She wondered if there was more to her Lucky Charm than she knew.

Rena and Carapace, hearing what he’d done for the first time, where regarding Chat with mixed looks of uncertainty and respect. They didn’t say anything, however.

“So, patrols for the week…?” Chat offered in an attempt to change the subject, forcing a cheery tone into his voice.

Together they sorted out patrols for the week, changing up their days, times and routes. Chat Noir had already done good job impressing on the other two that it was important they stick together and don’t split up, but Ladybug reinforced it. She didn’t want to risk what happened to her happening to Carapace or Rena, any more than she’d want it to happen to Chat.

The entire time they talked, Ladybug was keenly aware of Rena’s occasional lingering stare on her torn ear, and raised her hand to touch it twice out of self-consciousness. The third time she tried to touch her ear, Chat grabbed her hand and pointed towards the sky suddenly asking if that moving light was a shooting star. It _wasn’t_ a shooting star, with the light pollution in the city the stars to see where few and far between and none where moving. It was an aeroplane, no doubt, and she had a strong suspicion he’d known that in the first place. He’d just made up a reason to stop her from touching her ear. Rena called him daft, sarcastically asking if they’d never had planes in the sky in all the places he’d been over the last six years, but Chat didn’t seem bothered by the jab. Ladybug just smiled at him, telling him in the simple expression she knew why he’d done that and thanking him for it. He returned the smile easily.

They finished their meeting soon after that, Rena was complaining of a migraine, parting ways with promises to stay safe and alert.

Sticking to the ‘no routine’ part of the plan, Ladybug was taking the long path back home when Chat stopped suddenly ahead of her.

“What's wrong?” she asked when she landed beside him.

“Nothing” his tone was cryptic “but I want to show you something, follow me?” he asked it as a question, but took off before she could give him an actual answer, giving her no choice if she didn’t want to be left alone in the dark.

He didn’t take her too far off their designated path, bouncing over rooftops nimbly, occasionally glancing back to see if she was still following, before he eventually stopped, climbing down between two buildings and dropping his transformation. By the time she landed on the ground beside him, it was Adrien and Plagg who stood before her, not Chat Noir.

Nodding to her wordlessly, he indicated she should drop her transformation too, which she did, allowing both Tikki and Plagg to hide in her purse with a wedge of cheese from Adrien’s pocket and a healthy supply of cookies.

“What are we doing here, not that I hate a night-time stroll, I didn’t wear a coat tonight,” Marinette asked, wrapping her arms around herself to try and stave off a chill that was already threatening to make her teeth chatter.

Adrien didn’t say anything, he was at the mouth of the alleyway looking around to make sure no one had seen them both, but he could hear the shiver in her voice. Looking back over his shoulder he realised she clearly hadn’t expected to come out in the cold January night without the magical protection of the Ladybug suit. She stood behind him wearing only her blue jeans, a white tank top, and fluffy pink socks. He briefly thought about mentioning how those fluffy pink socks were adorned with kittens, but decided better of it. Truthfully Adrien hadn’t planned to bring her here, so he wasn’t wearing a coat either, but he had come directly from work and was still dressed as such. He shrugged out of his black suit jacket, swinging it over her shoulders in one swift movement. Sure he as a bit bigger than her, and she looked drowned in his jacket, but there was something about seeing her standing there, his jacket draping off her as she blushed and refused to meet his gaze that warmed his heart.

The coast clear Adrien waved for her to follow, still not speaking a word, three doors and stopped three buildings down from the alley they’d transformed in, turning to her on the doorstep and grinning like a giddy child on Christmas.

“Adrien, what-?” she was about to ask him what they were doing there again. Despite his warm jacket wrapped around her, the cold was still biting, and she wasn’t wearing shoes which certainly didn’t help matters, but was cut off when he started patting his pockets with a confused from, having a lightbulb moment, and reaching into the pocket of the jacket she was now wearing.

Was it possible for someone to blush too much? She was sure she’d win a medal for it if there was a competition.

He looked pleased with himself when he produced a key, apparently what he’d been looking for in the pockets, and inserted it into the lock of the building they stood in front of. With far more flourish than was necessary and a manner that was far more Chat-like than Adrien-like, he unlocked the door and beckoned her inside.

Marinette, with some trepidation, stepped across the threshold and almost immediately wished she hadn’t. The building had obviously been abandoned for a while, and thus had been apparently reclaimed by the spiders of Paris. Grey-dust covered webs seemed to coat every possible surface, horizontal or vertical.

She flicked a nearby light switch, but the lights didn’t even make an effort to come on, so she was left took look at what she could see in the dark. She daren’t move from her spot, in case one of the spiders decided to make an appearance. She wasn’t normally particular bothered by them, but she didn’t fancy facing a thousand at a time either.

There were the odd piles of random abandoned clutter around, hard to make out what everything was in the dark, but she suspected boxes and the collapsed part of what looked like a staircase in one corner. An old desk in the other. But most of the space was wide and clear.

“Do you like it?” Adrien almost startled her by asking. He was standing next to her now, but she hadn’t heard him move at all.

“I… think you may need to hire a maid.”

He snorted, rolling his eyes “obviously. I just bought it this morning, that’s why I didn’t message you earlier. I was almost late to patrol because they kept me waiting for so long to deliver the deeds and keys. I was going to wait until morning but I thought the surprise might be nice… so, what do you think? It’s the first building I’ve bought for our little project.”

Understanding dawned on her now and she felt her brain shift into work-mode as she looked at the space again. “It’s great,” she told him honestly “there’s plenty of space here, I imagine this would be the main boutique floor so that’s essential, and once those windows are cleared and washed they’ll be great for displaying something eye-catching to draw people inside. Plenty of fixing up to do but I could see this becoming a very nice boutique. Hopefully with a lot of unique character.”

“So, you like it?”

“I love it.”

“Oh, good” Adrien let out a breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding while she’d looked around, drawing her attention back to him “because I was really hoping that you would want to take this building.”

“Me?” Marinette was thrilled, her voice becoming a slight squeak as she clutched onto Adrien’s jacket around her shoulders.

“Well yeah, honestly I didn’t just buy this building because of its potential as a boutique, though it has a lot of that, it’s actually the _perfect_ distance between your apartment, your parent’s bakery, my office and my apartment.”

He looked incredibly pleased with himself, the cat who caught the canary kind of look, so Marinette couldn’t help but tease him even if it did border on breaking her own rules to keep some distance between them.

“Your apartment huh?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him “I can understand why it might need to be so close to your office, since I’ll still technically be working with your company after all, but why your apartment?”

Adrien felt his cheeks burn, thankful that in the dark she was unlikely to be able to see it, and rubbed his neck “I may want to visit from time to time.”

“Buying a building because it’s close to your apartment… makes it sound like you may plan to visit more than just ‘time to time’” Marinette tapped her cheek in playful thought.

“Purr-haps princess, why, are you complaining?” the cat-pun slipped out almost by forgotten habit, as did the nickname, but Adrien didn’t waste time being embarrassed by it, hoping it might confuse her a little as he stepped closer to her, standing toe for toe, their chests almost brushing. Marinette didn’t step back, holding his gaze with the kind of stubbornness he’d come to expect. A little light from the street outside the shop was filtering in through the grimy windows, it seemed to make her eyes glitter.

“Not complaining, confused perhaps. Wasn’t long ago you told me you weren’t planning on staying in the city for very long after all…”

“Well… maybe I found a reason to stay for longer.”

Marinette held Adrien’s gaze for as long as she dared before looking away, feeling as though her whole body was on fire. Inside her teenage-brain seemed to have taken over and was going crazy. What did he mean by that? Was it her? Did he want to stay longer for her? But she stamped down on that fast, locking those questions away and trying to reign in her blush. It was more likely he stayed longer due to the Enenra situation after all. And she wasn’t the only good thing here for him. His friends, the family he created for himself and thought he lost, where all here too.

Adrien felt like some kind of spell had been broken when Marinette finally looked away, and found himself wondering why the hell he just said that. He sounded like some sappy romance novel. He cleared his throat abruptly, facing the room instead and began pointing out things that needed repairs.

“Obviously the stairs will need to be rebuilt completely, and the balcony will need to be stabilized. There are a few other rooms in the back but I won’t show you now, I don’t want us falling over anything. I’ll bring you back once things are repaired and cleared and we can go over decorating… it –eh- might take me a little longer than usual. That’s why there was some confusion with getting the key and deed earlier, Sophia’s son is sick so she’s not around at the minute and the details for all the contractors where in her emails, which of course I don’t have access to…” he trailed off.

“Sounds great to me, plus it gives me time to finish Alya’s bridesmaid dresses before I start daydreaming about a shop design” Marinette joked, following Adrien as he turned to leave the empty shop.

On the doorstep, he surprised her by asking “so, have you thought of a name for your Boutique, or are you sticking with Dupain-Cheng designs?”

Looking over her shoulder, Marinette was more surprised to see him holding a rather beat-up looking plain white business card between two fingers while he locked the shop door behind them. Her business card. The one she’d given him months ago.

She was honestly touched he’d kept it so long.

“My name is a bit of a mouthful… actually, I was thinking…” she told him thoughtfully as he fell into step beside her, his business shoes clacking heavily against the pavement while her fluffy pink cat socks made no noise when she walked “would it be too on the nose perhaps to call my boutique ‘Miraculous’? I had a few design ideas inspired by the miraculous, I thought I could have them as a debut to explain away the name and carry a few permanent designs in stock based on Paris’s mightiest heroes…”

They were standing in the alley again now, Marinette opened her purse to free the two kwami who had been suspiciously quiet this whole time.

“I think that name sounds perfect Marinette,” Adrien told her in a gentle voice, perhaps not wanting to be overheard if someone was to pass by them.

“Will there be a special selection of Chat Noir themed goodies?” Plagg asked, his voice surprisingly loud in the otherwise silent alley.

Mari giggled “Of course.”

“I approve too,” the kwai of destruction said, apparently appeased. Tikki rolled her eyes.

They transformed again, after some griping from Plagg and switching back and forth, and made the short journey back to Marinette’s apartment wordlessly, though the occasional grin was shared when they overtook one another in their unspoken race. Adrien actually beat her back by a few minutes, and knowing she hardly ever locked her windows, tried her kitchen and found the window once again unlocked and slipped inside.

He was surprised when a de-transformed Marinette stepped out of her spare bedroom slash sewing room, shutting the door firmly behind her.

“B-but! How did… I beat you here!”

Marinette just looked amused, Tikki giggling on her shoulder “Nah, I just let you think that. I wanted to make sure you didn’t come in the sewing room window.”

“What? Why?” he forgot about who beat who back and his triangular ears perked up in interest.

“Nu-uh!” Marinette laughed, blocking him from getting to the door “I’m working on the bridesmaid dresses, I _promised_ Alya I wouldn’t let anyone see them until they’re done.”

“Not even me?” he sounded indignant.

“Not even you.”

“But…”

“Nope, now, shouldn’t you de-transform already? Poor Plagg will want his cheese. Besides, Alya and Nino are going to be here any minute. Gosh, I didn’t realise your little detour had taken so long!”

As if summoned, there was a sound near the front door up the hall. So used to letting themselves in when they were expected, it sounded as though Alya and Nino had tried the front door only to find it locked. They began knocking. With his enhanced hearing, Adrien could hear them wondering out loud why the door was locked.

“Plagg, claws in!” he de-transformed while Marinette waved at him to hurry, heading towards the front door to let their friends in.

“That’s what you get for taking your girlfriend on surprise dates” Plagg snickered, not keeping his voice down at all.

Panicked Marinette might hear him Adrien swiped at his kwami with irritation “ssssh, it wasn’t a – a date! It was work, really. Now go, here-“he gave him a slice of camembert from his pocket and pointed towards Tikki who was waving impatiently (in a manner much like Marinette, he wondered briefly who learned it from who) by Marinette’s bedroom door. The two kwami’s disappeared promptly though the closed door, barely seconds before Nino and Alya came around the corner.

“Hey, dude” Nino greeted, not at all surprised Adrien was already there “ready for me to beat your ass at Mecha?”

“You wish” Adrien scoffed. He nodded a greeting towards Alya, aware of the redheads knowing look as they glanced between him and Marinette, but knowing it wasn’t a look meant for him at all if the look of Mari’s face was any indication. He wondered what Alya would say to her later.

It was Friday night, so Nino had designated it for planning between the best man and groom to be, as well as the bride to be and maid of honour. They almost hadn’t made it, Nino claimed Alya had been suffering an on-again-off-again headache for the last few weeks and had seemed very sick with it an hour ago. She insisted though, powering through any pain because they needed to make plans. Honestly though, aside from the occasional idea and a grunt of agreement, Adrien and Nino were not being much help, too involved with their game of Mecha strike to really commit. Besides, Nino and Adrien already had their plans for the bachelor party, and he was happy to give Alya free reign over most of the wedding, what more did she need?

Alya didn’t argue, she claimed it saved her another headache. She had enough with input from her sisters, mom and Nino’s mom as it was!

While the boys played their game the girls discussed the wedding, possible bachelorette party ideas, and the bridesmaid dresses over two pints of their favourite ice cream Alya and brought over.

“I had your sisters over for their measurements the other day, so I’ve made the base dresses, I just wanted to run some final design ideas over with you before I make the final edits. Plus all your sisters had an idea for their own dress, which I wanted to run by you of course” Marinette told Alya as they sat together on the sofa, the boys sitting by their feet, handing over her sketch pad with the deigns.

At the mention of the dresses Adrien turned slightly, just enough he could see them while still seeing the TV screen so he could try beat Nino (they were evenly tied two for two, this was the tiebreaker match and he wouldn’t be defeated) and asked: “hey Alya, how come you won’t let Marinette let us see the dresses?”

“Because you’re the Best Man” Alya snickered, rolling her eyes “bad luck for the best man to see the maid of honours dress before the wedding – ooh, I like this Marinette” she pointed to a particular asked of the design that Adrien wasn’t privy too, he was sure just to annoy him.

“I thought it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride’s dress before the wedding not best man and maid of honour babe” Nino piped up, never looking away from the screen.

“I said what I said” Alya grinned. Beside her, Marinette rolled her eyes.

Two minutes later, during which Alya made several loud comments about bits she liked on the design that Adrien and Nino couldn’t see, Adrien was declared victorious of the Mecha Strike tiebreaker. Nino groaned loudly, sprawling out on the floor to bask in his defeat, while Adrien laughed.

“I think I’ve got a clear idea of what you want from the bridesmaid dresses” Marinette was mumbling on the sofa, oblivious to the defeat and victory of the boys. The sketchpad was back on her lap, she’d been drawing furiously for a few seconds but when she showed Alya whatever changes she’d made the bride-to-be gave a huge grin.

“They’re perfect,” she said “but Marinette, are you sure you’re going to have time to do this? I don’t want you to overwork yourself…”

“It’ll be fine. I’ve put my online store on hiatus for two weeks, I have the fabric, though I admit it’s the time that’s the big factor. I might have a few days of not leaving my apartment at all, I won’t be a pretty sight when that happens” she joked, with just a note of seriousness. Once she got into a project she did tend to throw herself at it completely, forgoing sleep, food, showering and basically anything healthy for extended periods of time.

“That’s impossible” Adrien grinned as he stood from the floor, coming to stand beside the couch and stretching as he did “you’re always a pretty sight to see.” 

The two girls were stunned for a second by his boldness, but Marinette recovered faster than Alya did, flipping the sketchbook over so he couldn’t see it and pointing her ice-cream spoon at him. “Don’t think I’m not aware of your game Agreste, flattery will not get you an advanced peek at the dresses! If I catch you near them, well-“

“-you’re threatening me with a spoon?” he looked amused.

“You don’t know what I can do with this spoon.”

Holding his hands up in a surrender, Adrien laughed loudly “okay, I give. I’ll cower under your threat of spoons. Do you want a drink?”

Marinette, Alya and Nino all rejected his offer of a drink, Nino excusing himself to the bathroom, while Adrien shrugged and took himself off into her kitchen to get his own drink.

Alone with Marinette, Alya turned to her best friend. “Sooo… Adrien seems very comfortable here.”

“I imagine so, I have to kick him out most nights since the whole mugging thing…” Mari confessed nonchalantly, waving slightly towards her torn ear. It drew Alya’s gave to her ear, but the redhead quickly looked away again.

“Does he sleep here?” Alya asked rather bluntly. Marinette wasn’t all that surprised by her bluntness, she still looked a bit pale and was quieter than she normally was. She’d taken painkillers for her headache, but they didn’t seem to have helped much, and Alya wasn’t one to beat around the bush when she wasn’t feeling her best.

Mari raised an eyebrow at the crudity of the question. “You mean are we sleeping together? No. And no, he doesn’t sleep on the couch either. He goes home.”

“Okay. Just had to ask I mean… you have to admit, you two act like a couple.”

“We don’t.”

“You totally do” Alya rolled her eyes “I mean he’s here every night until you kick him out, you tease each other, you flirt – and don’t think I didn’t notice the hand-holding in the coffee shop when we asked if you’d be best man and maid of honour!”

Marinette blushed. She didn’t know Alya had noticed that, actually. “T-that was just for support…”

“Uh-huh, support” Alya snickered “girl I know what your supporting, a great big crus-“

“-no, no don’t say it. I'm not. I won’t.”

“You won’t what?” Nino returned from the bathroom, falling onto the sofa besides Alya “is she asking you to do something weird for the bachelorette party?”

“No, I’m trying to tell her she has a _huge_ crush on Adrien but she stubbornly refuses to listen,” Alya told him, acting as though Marinette had momentarily disappeared.

“Ahh, right, did you get to the part where he totally has a crush back?” Nino asked sagely.

Marinette vaguely wondered if she had actually disappeared, the way they were talking.

“Nah, I was just getting to that part.”

Nino lifted his head to peer around Alya at Marinette directly “seriously Mari, he has a huge crush on you.”

“Oh am I allowed to participate in the conversation again, I thought I was invisible” Mari rolled her eyes, before asking in a softer voice – throwing a furtive glance at the kitchen – “did… did he actually tell you that Nino?”

“Ehhh…” Nino hesitated “he’s not really one for telling things like that. It’s just… obvious.”

For a second Marinette had let her hope rise, but at Nino’s admittance he was basing this only on assumption she felt the lid slam on Pandora’s emotional box, sealing hope firmly inside. Her friendly obviously saw this on her expression, sharing a look between one another, Nino tried again.

“I promise Mari, if you made a move he’d totally reciprocate…”

“Or…” Alya sighed, rubbing her head “maybe if he makes a move you shouldn’t totally dismiss it as ‘just friends’…”

Marinette sighed, looking away from them and not sure what to believe. She could hear Adrien still pottering around her kitchen. She knew he was probably looking for a bottle opener for the glass bottles of soda she’d found on discount, she always kept it in weird places. She knew he’d found it when she heard a soft ‘pop’ sound from the kitchen.

Nino had noticed Alya rubbing her head again, remembering the headache she’d had before they’d come to Marinette’s that evening. “You okay babe?”

“Fine” Alya responded, giving him a slight smile.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, it's fine.”

Adrien returned now, holding his bottle of pop and noticing immediately the worried look on Nino’s face. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah dude, think I’m gonna give the next round a miss and sit with Alya for a bit. Can’t have my baby getting sick” Nino nodded, leaning back on the sofa and pulling Alya towards him. She mumbled something about not getting sick, but didn’t resist and let her head rest on his shoulder.

“Okay, Marinette how about you?” Adrien picked up the game control, offering it to her.

“Oh, ready for your winning streak to be broken are you?” she smirked, taking the controller.

“I think you’ve reigned lord supreme over Mecha strike for long enough Dupain-Cheng, time I knocked you off that throne” he retorted, sitting on the floor between her feet, her knees resting on either side of his shoulder.

Marinette only laughed at his trash talk while he set up the game, taking the hairband from her wrist so she could tie up her hair, knowing it would get in her eyes while she was playing if she didn’t. Alya just watched, snuggled into Nino’s chest, refusing to stare at her friends scabbed over-ear even though it was clearly visible now and turning to the TV. Nino muttered soft things to her while adding louder encouragement for Marinette to avenge his earlier defeat.

“Who’s side are you on?” Adrien asked him incredulously, having enough sense not to look away from the screen when he was playing against Marinette.

“The side that beats your ass bro.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaay I got this chapter out much quicker. 
> 
> I had a day of sick leave. Ironically it turns out I'm suffering 'chronic fatigue syndrome' due to an infection I didn't know I had. Y'know on top of all the other things that can make you exhausted... 
> 
> I'm very tired. Gunna go cuddle the pupper now haha.
> 
> But I had fun writing this chapter.


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

Nino opened the door of the sleek black car a few seconds after it had pulled up beside him, slipping into the seat in a single fluid motion and letting the door fall shut behind him cutting him off from the world outside with a solid click.

“So…” the DJ asked, slipping the sunglasses from his face “did you bring the stuff?”

In the driver’s seat, Adrien gave his best friend a sideways glance and tried not to laugh at his serious tone and replied, “In the backseat.”

Twisting in his seat Nino took a look behind them and saw the two lumpy grey gym bags taking up the backseat. Trying not to be thrown off balance as Adrien re-joined the traffic around them, he leaned back far enough to unzip one, inspecting what was inside, and let out a gleeful hiss at what he found. “Tonight is going to be great. We’ll go down in bachelor party history dude.”

Adrien nodded in agreement “yep… Alya _might_ kill you though.”

“Ahh, but what’s love without a little war?” Nino grinned, zipping the bag back up and facing forwards in his seat again. “That reminds me best man, how went your missing to find out what the girls are planning for the bachelorette party?”

“I just asked Marinette what they were planning when we were hanging out, so it wasn’t much of a mission.”

“What, bro, you _just asked_? She’s the maid of honour, she could’ve _lied_ to cover up whatever nefarious deeds Alya’s planning!”

“I don’t think so, I think I’d know if Marinette was hiding something” Adrien shrugged, though that confidence was dashed a little when he felt the familiar weight of Plagg in his breast pocked shake with the kwami’s silent laughter. “She seemed pretty honest, and it’s not like she was suspicious about why I was asking her either.”

Nino mulled it over for a moment, then conceded with a nod “alright, that’s fair. Marinette isn’t usually the best at hiding things anyway. What did she say?”

Adrien felt his confidence wane a little more at Nino’s words, knowing things his best friend didn’t about their dark-haired friend. “She said they were going to be playing a few drinking games, and had organised little spa kits for all the girls.”

“Yeah, I did see Alya putting little packets together the other night full of makeup and stuff…”

Relief lifted the weight for Adrien’s chest. When he’d asked Marinette on patrol the other night about the plans for the bachelorette party he hadn’t thought she’d lie to him, she’d have no reason to he thought, and normally he’d have agreed with Nino that she was terrible at keeping secrets. Except he knew what Nino didn’t, that she had kept her biggest secret from them all for years. It made him realise that perhaps when it came to her abilities to hide things from him that he still underestimated her. Maybe it was harder than he’d first considered, to reconcile that the woman he knew as Ladybug and the woman he knew as Marinette were one and the same…

“So…” Nino drug the word out slowly, facing Adrien “still just ‘hanging out’ with Marinette then dude?”

Adrien frowned, turning the car onto a motorway towards their destination. “What do you mean?”

Nino rolled his eyes “I mean that’s it seems to be pretty obvious you two like each other and we were rather hoping all this ‘hanging out’ would eventually become ‘dating’ since we’re not awkward teenagers afraid to confess our feelings anymore.”

Adrien half turned to gape at Nino’s bluntness but forced himself to keep his eyes on the road. “I-what?!”

“You really didn’t change in the years you were gone dude” Nino laughed “you _like_ Marinette, don’t you?”

“I…”

“Well?” Nino pushed after a moment of quiet, his tone playful but gentle as he tried to coax the truth from his best friend. Normally he wouldn’t have said anything, it wasn’t his business, but it was painfully obvious they liked each other to anyone who saw them. Perhaps living with Alya for so long was rubbing off on him and he was adopting her more forceful attitude, but he wanted to see his friends happy, or if it turned out Adrien’s feelings were once again not returned then he didn’t want to see Marinette hurt again.

The car felt suffocating all of a sudden, but Adrien forced himself to breathe, keeping his sight on the horizon as he looked for the sign for their turn off. After a few more moments, he felt his mouth open, almost as though he was possessed as he admitted “I… I do like Marinette. As more than a friend… but I don’t want to hurt her again. I’d _never_ forgive myself. Plus we work together, getting into a relationship with me could damage her career before it’s even started if someone was to point fingers at us.”

Nino weighed up Adrien’s answer, nodding slowly. “I’m glad you’re thinking of Marinette’s wellbeing, dude. She doesn’t deserve to get her heart broken again, and as much as I love you, I would have to hit you… again.”

“Believe me, I know” Adrien chuckled drily, but there was no real humour in it. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d ended up lying awake at night since he found out Ladybug was Marinette, knowing he’d broken her heart in the past… because he was in love with her other identity. They hadn’t really talked about it yet, he knew the subject would come up eventually, how could it not? But it made him nauseous. How stupid could he have been? He’d caused her so much pain, and she was still here. She still accepted him in her life, in her home, as her partner. If he could Adrien would give her the moon and the stars to keep her happy, but if hiding the strength of his feelings for her so she could have the career she wanted was what was needed then he’d give her that instead, she didn’t even need to ask.

“How is the whole shop-project thing going anyway?” Nino tilted his head. The last thing he’d heard was Marinette was how she suspected they’d need to pay rent to the spiders who’d built webs in the shop.

“It’s going better now I’ve gotten the contractors details from Sophia and taken over organising that” Adrien sighed “that was stonewalling me for a time, but thankfully they’ve done a great job ever since they got in. They’ve replaced all the floorboards and rebuilt the stairs… the spiders have been evicted.”

Nino snickered “your assistant still on sick leave then?”

“Yeah, it’s her kid, he has some kind of condition. But I knew that hiring her. I should’ve made sure there was a failsafe way to take over Sophia’s work if she needed time off, that’s my error.”

“You’re a nice boss. Hire me?”

“If I ever need a DJ” Adrien promised, snickering. “But yeah, the projects going great. I’ve bought two more buildings, they’re in a similar condition to the one I’m giving Marinette but we have time to overhaul them, I’ve asked two of our other freelancers if they’re interested in the proposal as well. One put his name down immediately, and the other is taking a week to mull it over but seems very interested.”

“That’s great!” Nino nodded, then thought for a moment “do you think Mari would let me DJ at her shop on opening night? I can make it extra classy!”

“You’d have to ask her” Adrien laughed, finally spotting their turn off and taking it. The car bumped as the smooth motorway gave over to a thin country road. He kept his eye out for another sign. “I don’t know what she’s planning for the opening night yet, she’s been busy making the bridesmaid dresses, when she does talk about the shop it’s because I need her to pick out what colour she wants the décor before I let the painters in.”

Nino chuckled “so, when the whole shop project is finished, do you think you’ll revisit the idea of asking her out of an actual date?”

Adrien had almost missed the sign for their destination while Nino was talking, mostly because it was half-covered by overgrown ivy, and the car jerked a little as he only just made the turn off for the car park. The gravel kicked up as the tires went over them, but he found a space almost immediately and shut off the vehicle as he turned to Nino.

“I’d still technically be her boss.”

Nino raised an eyebrow but he didn’t say anything out loud. He didn’t need to, it was clear what he was thinking.

“Besides, you’re assuming that Marinette would actually want me to ask her out, I know I hurt her in the past. _Badly_. She might be just as wary about it as I am.”

Nino could only shrug as he responded: “I just want you both to be happy man.”

Adrien sighed, he was about to admit to Nino that he had considered perhaps asking Marinette if she might like to go on a real date with him sometime after the project was over… and after a few more people joined it to put a little distance between them…

But a sudden knock on the window made them both jump.

“Are you two going to stay in there all night or are you going to join the rest of us?” Chloe’s voice could be heard even through the glass as he gave them a smirk, clearly proud to have caught them both off guard. Apparently unnoticed by either of them she had parked her car beside theirs, and they could see Nathaniel helping Sabrina get the bags from the trunk.

Nino clasped Adrien’s shoulder “bro, let’s forget whatever problems we have for the night and just party. Remember, what happens at the bachelor party, stays at the bachelor party.”

“Fine, you get the bags from the back then” Adrien laughed, opening his door. While Nino got the gym bags, Adrien went to the trunk and retrieved two more bags. Now that he was standing he could see their final destination.

Considering the short time frame to plan their wedding, Nino and Alya hadn’t quite known what to do when their friends brought up ideas for the bachelor/bachelorette parties. They’d discussed just going to a bar, but Kim had surprised them by mentioning his uncle owning a campground not far outside of the city that rented large cabins to parties. He’d been able to book two at short notice, for both parties.

Adrien wondered if he and Nino had been the last to arrive, both of them needing to finish up some work before taking the weekend off and had agreed to drive up together later than the girls. He could see the two Cabins, sitting across from one another with a large campfire beginning to bloom at the centre. It looked like Kim and Alix were still throwing piles of wood into the circle of stones, despite it already towering over them. Smoke was rising from a few barbeques too, the smells of food wafting closer and making his stomach growl as it reminded him he hadn’t eaten since lunch.

Plagg twitched in his pocket. “Do you think they’d cook some of my cheese on those?”

“No” Adrien whispered, aware Chloe, Sabrina and Nathaniel where still close enough to hear if he spoke normally “it would melt, but if you behave this weekend I’ll get you a fondue pot.”

“Deal” the kwami responded immediately.

Adrien and Nino were directed to one of the cabins to put away their bags, and Nino was made to wear a glittering blue top hat that declared him the ‘bachelor’ by Kim before they joined everyone around the now roaring campfire and barbeques. It was still winter, and while they were lucky the weather was dry, it was still bitterly cold, so the fire was a welcome warmth as everyone huddled on the log benches around it. Alya was easy to spot, having been forced to wear a glittering pink hat that matched Nino’s to declare her the Bachelorette. Marinette was sitting with her of course, as they steadily poured themselves a drink from a wine bottle into plastic wine glasses. From the way Alya waved when she spotted them both he’d guess this wasn’t their first drink.

“Babe, you won’t believe, Max has an actual scientific formula for making the perfect burger,” Alya told Nino as soon as he sat beside her, taking up most of the log on that side and forcing Adrien to sit on the other end besides Marinette. He vaguely wondered if he’d done it on purpose, but soon forgot when Kim threw him a beer that he only caught from years of being Chat Noir honing the reflex. Not that he cared much anyway, as soon as he sat beside her Marinette leaned towards him slightly, laughing at something Alya had said. He could feel her warmth even through their layers of clothing and coats. She burned hotter than the bonfire to him.

“Did you get everything sorted at work?” she surprised him when she suddenly turned to ask.

“I did” he nodded popping open the beer. It fizzed a little from being shaken up when Kim had thrown it, and Adrien stuck the bottle top in his mouth to save himself from the spillage. Marinette laughed at him.

“And the other designers?” she asked, hopeful.

“One agreed, one is taking time to decide but sounds keen.”

“He’ll agree. It’s a great idea!” she told him firmly, then added, “not that I’m at all bias of course.”

The conversation topic soon shifted off of work as others joined them around the fire. All of their old schoolmates had made it to the party, though Alya’s sisters and Nino’s brothers had decided not to come, choosing to do a dinner together earlier in the week as their celebration of the union. There was some discussion of the wedding, and the conversation did briefly take a turn towards the fact there had been no attacks in the city for over a month, while Max continued to work on the ‘mathematically determined perfect burger’ until night had fallen and the barbeques long since died out. Drinks were flowing freely, Adrien himself could feel his cheeks warm not only from how much he’d drank but from laughter.

“Let’s play a game!” Chloe suddenly declared after a small lull in the conversation. “A _drinking_ game!” she added, to gleeful hoots.

“Which one?” Alix called back over the hooting.

“’ Never have I ever’, I want to know some _saucy_ secrets though. This is a bachelorette/bachelor party” the blonde wiggled her eyebrows “dirty questions only!”

Marinette felt herself blushing, and noticed she wasn’t the only one around the group who did. Plenty of people looked embarrassed, but no one protested the rule. 

“Alright good, everyone agrees. Now, we’re a big group so we’ll do five lives. Hold up your fingers on one hand, if someone says they’ve never done something and you have done it, put a finger down because you lost a life. The last one with fingers up is the winner.”

“You’ll be out in five rounds them Chloe” someone jeered, causing the group to laugh.

“Never have I ever-“Chloe glared, starting the game “-purchased a sex toy.”

Alix, Kim, Nathaniel, Sabrina, Juleka and Alya all put a finger down, ignoring Chloe’s smug look.

Sabrina went next, “never have I ever used food in the bedroom.”

Ivan, Meyleyn, Nino, Alya, Chloe (who pouted), Nathaniel and Kim all put fingers down.

“Never have I ever been walked in on” Meyleyn squeaked.

Alya, Nino, Chloe, Nathaniel, Kim, Alix and Max put a finger down. Alya and Kim were heard muttering about how it was unfair they already lost three lives.

“Never have I ever…” Ivan struggled to think for a moment “sucked toes?”

Laughter rippled around the group, but no one put a finger down.

“Never have I ever-“Alix paused, staring around the circle for effect “-had a dirty sex dream about someone in this circle.”

Everyone put a finger down, which made Alix start cackling, while Alya and Kim started shouting about only being on their last life. Adrien and Marinette, however, were oblivious to that, both of them had noticed when the other put their finger down. They’d made brief eye contact, and though they’d laughed when they quickly looked away they were both wondering about it. Had his dirty dream been about her? Marinette wondered, or was he thinking back to their teen years when he’d loved Ladybug? Had it been about Ladybug? What happened? Adrien similarly wanted to know what had happened in Marinette’s dream. Had it been about him? He couldn’t remember ever hearing her talk about having a crush on someone else in the group at any other time, so he was fairly confident it was. Was it recent?

“Never have I ever-“their thoughts were broken as Kim stood and shouted proudly, “-left my partner unsatisfied in the bedroom.”

Fingers went down across the circle as people groaned, but a few stayed up. Adrien was both surprised and intrigued to notice Marinette did not put a finger down, her expression smug as Alya hissed a question about it.

The game went on for over an hour, though Alya and Kim ended up out quite quickly, followed by Alix, Chloe, Nathaniel and Nino. It turned out the hardest people to get out where Rose, Adrien, Marinette, Max, Meyleyn and Ivan.

But the game was oddly informative.

Adrien learned that Marinette had kept the clothing of someone she was attracted to because she liked the smell, she’s had a friend with benefits relationship, she’s watched porn (she’d blushed heavily during this admission which made Alya roar with laughter so he knew there was a story there that he’d pester her for later) and she’d had sex in the shower.

Adrien had also lost a life for the porn and shower questions, he’d also lost a life for ‘going commando’ (he’d smugly noticed when Marinette’s eyes had widened, flicking downwards before she could stop herself and look away) as well as for ‘having sexual feelings for a co-worker’. He’d refused to look at Marinette for that one, and wished she had still been in the game when it was asked so he could see what her answer would have been.

It wasn’t very late, despite the pitch blackness around them that grew as the campfire got smaller, by the time the game finished and someone decided it was time for the bachelor and bachelorette parties to go to separate and move to their respective cabin parties.

Nino met Adrien’s eyes as they stood, nodding his signal for Adrien to go to the cabin and get their ‘surprise’ ready. He couldn’t help giving a last lingering look towards Marinette before he disappeared though, finding her already looking at him, still red-faced with embarrassment from the earlier game. Or perhaps it was from the cold, or the wine she’d drank. He didn’t know. But she looked beautiful, expression lit only by the spark in her eye and the last flames of the dying fire.

Adrien winked at her before turning and heading towards the cabin with Nino.

Marinette watched him go, shaking her head with silent laughter, but she couldn’t dwell too much before Alya grabbed her by the arm and dragged her towards their own cabin laughing. Once they were inside though, and they were sure all the girls were in too, they slammed the door shut and the laughter died into a serious expression.

“Did you bring them Marinette?” Alya asked.

“Of course I did, what do you take me for?” Marinette snickered, unzipping the pink suitcase she’d brought earlier.

“What’s happening?” Alix peered closer.

“Nino and Adrien think they’re sneaky, but ladies let me tell you that boy hasn’t changed the way he hides things in nearly a decade. So I found out what he planned for tonight, and he’s in for a dang surprise” Alya declared fiercely, lifting a bright yellow nerf gun from Marinette’s suitcase and cocking it like she was posing for an action movie poster.

The rest of the girls looked confused.

“The guys plan on raiding our party with nerf guns for their bachelor activity” Marinette stepped up to explain “Alya found the plans are written down on a note Nino kept hidden in one of his shoes. So, we planned a counter-attack.”

“Complete with outfits and makeup” Alya added, lifting up her own bag.

Understanding dawned on the girl's faces as slowly they grinned.

“Awesome” Alix said slowly, picking up one of the bigger guns from the suitcase “Ladies, arm yourselves!”

****

Dressed entirely in black, Adrien stayed behind Nino as they crept through the dark towards the girl’s cabin. Inside the lights were on, the only light in the darkness beside the randomly dotted solar lamps, and they could hear music and laughter inside.

A little further away they could see Max and Kim, also wearing entirely black, nerf guns in hand crouched behind a bush. They looked to Nino for a signal. Nino gave some weird hand gesture back, but Kim must have understood because he tapped Max on the shoulder and gestured for them to start army crawling across the green closer to the girl’s cabin. Once they were crouched behind the porch of the cabin, Nino turned to Adrien and gave him a sharp nod.

Following Nino’s lead, Adrien snuck up the stairs of the cabin, relieved when the wood didn’t even as much as squeak under his feet. He could hear the girls louder now, it sounded like Chloe was talking while everyone laughed, and the music was some band he didn’t quite recognise. He plastered himself against the side of the door opposite Nino, who lifted his fingers and counted down slowly from three.

On three Nino swung around, kicking the door open and giving a wild yell as he began shooting the foam pellets without aim. Adrien span and joined him, shooting one pellet before he paused, looking around the room.

The girl’s cabin was empty.

Nino dropped his gun too, frowning and even looking behind the door as if they were all hiding behind it out of the line of fire.

“I don’t get it, where are they?” the bachelor asked, standing dumbly in the door even as Adrien stepped further in. He found a Bluetooth speaker sitting on the table, and held it up for Nino to see even as a sense of dread started to replace his confusion.

Nino must have come to the same conclusion Adrien had, the frown on his face quickly melting away to shock before he turned and yelled out of the doorway “ _It’s a trap_!”

His warning came too late, a yell from the bushes a further away from the cabins, fierce as a war cry, suddenly sounded and the girls reappeared as the boys dressed in their black began to scatter after Nino’s shout.

For a second, Adrien was confused about what he was seeing.

The girls where brandishing bright yellow nerf guns and wearing outfits made of pink camo, their faces adorned with pink camo makeup.

They must have had this planned. They knew about the pre-planned attack he and Nino had made and where ready.

“They had this planned!” Nino cried, his shoulders drooping.

“Yep” Adrien agreed, coming to stand beside him in the doorway “by any chance do you still hide your secret lists in your left shoe?”

Nino looked surprised, then realisation dawned on him and he thumped his forehead with the heel of his hand. Adrien snickered, and watched in front of the cabin as Alix pelted Kim with foam pellets, grinning fiercely.

Pink movement out of the corner of his eye. He spotted Alya and Marinette coming around the corner of the cabin. He nudged Nino and pointed, a wicked grin on both their faces as they began to sneak closer.

Nino lifted his gun, aiming for Alya who was facing away from him. He shot, sure he was going to hit her.

“ _Noooo_!” Marinette yelled dramatically, having seen Nino fire his shot at the last second, and moving to defend Alya. To anyone else it would be a shock that she managed to use her small gun to knock the pellet off course and away from Alya, considering how fast they went. Adrien wasn’t shocked. He’d seen Ladybug knock faster objects out of the air defending him! He was shocked though, when Marinette lifted her gun and fired, the pellet hitting Nino right in the middle of his chest.

The two girl’s high fived while Nino stared at his chest dumbly.

After a heartbeat, the groom-to-be clutched his chest and sank to the ground on his knees moaning “oh no, she got me, Adrien, I’m _dying_ …”

Adrien tried not to laugh as Nino began sinking even further to the floor, trying to clutch his hand. “Betrayed… betrayed by the maid of honour…. I thought we were friends… Adrien, Adrien it’s getting _dark_ … I’m _cold_ … Adrien! Avenge me, bro! _Avenge me_!”

“I’ll avenge you, Nino, rest in peace” Adrien tried to sound sombre and serious, but he was fighting a grin, especially when Alya came closer and began poking her fiancé with a stick asking ‘is he dead yet, I want the life insurance’ to which Nino replied through his teeth ‘feeling the love babe’.”

Adrien looked up to see Marinette hadn’t moved from the spot where she’d shot Nino, watching the entire scene with a confused look. Marinette tore her eyes from Nino to meet Adrien’s gaze, and felt her stomach drop when she recognised a very Chat Noir-like smirk forming there. It usually meant he had the upper hand (or paw as he might say) about something. He lifted his nerf gun, and Marinette bolted.

She knew Adrien would chase her. It was in the nature of a cat to chase its prey after all. But that didn’t mean she had to make it easy for him.

She took a sharp turn, glad she’d worn her running shoes on this trip, and used her momentum to help her make the turn before running again without missing a step. She was glad for all those run’s in her civilian form too, it had helped her realise what she was and wasn’t physically capable of while outside of the Ladybug transformation. Some traits carried on, especially after such prolonged use of the miraculous, like flexibility. Or Adrien’s somewhat feline tendencies. Swiftness was one she was currently most thankful for.

“Run Marinette!” Juleka encouraged as she tore past her helping Rose get a foam pellet out of her hair.

Alix, Kim and Max where in some kind of face-off and didn’t even notice as they ran past them. Chloe seemed to have abandoned the fight and was snogging Nathaniel behind the cabins.

She made a few more sharp turns to delay him, reaching a line of trees at the start of a small copse before she felt his presence at her back, the only warning she had before she felt his arms around her waist. Suddenly the floor wasn’t beneath her feet anymore, and she was vaguely aware they were falling before hitting the ground with a heavy thump. Adrien had, without her notice, moved his hand to the back of her head so she didn’t hit it on the floor when they fell.

They were a tangle of laughter and limbs on the floor. Marinette twisted on the ground to face him, and Adrien ended up straddling her hips as their laughter turned into harsh panting. Adrien looked flushed from the effort of the chase, some of his blonde hair falling loose and into his eyes in a more Chat like fashion than usual, which matched that feral looking glint in his eye from having chased and caught his prey.

As if by its own accord, Marinette saw her hand reaching up to smooth the hair back from his face. With a grin, she commented, “careful Adrien, your Chat Noir is showing.”

Looking amused Adrien took a hold of her wrist and moved his weight forwards so he could pin both her wrists over her head. “This isn’t an excuse for you to feel me up, this is revenge for the groom. As best man it’s my duty to fulfil his request after all.”

“Oh please, I was hardly ‘feeling you up’” Mari rolled her eyes, then snickered “you wouldn’t be complaining if I did that.”

“I’d only complain that we’re in public,” Adrien told her, nodding in agreement and enjoying the way her eyes widened slightly. “Now, where was I? Ah, revenge…”

Marinette watched as he leaned over with his free hand to snatch one of their discarded nerf guns from the floor. “Are you really going to shoot me, like this?”

“Yep.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re a hair faster than a foam bullet my lady, and I need to fulfil a promise to an overly dramatic friend.”

“Adrien…” she moaned, letting her head fall back on the floor as she let out an indigent sigh.

He stiffened above her, and knew he probably wasn’t going to forget what it was like to hear her moan his name anytime soon. Looking down at her pinned beneath him, her chest still heaving with heavy breathes after their chase, and peering up at him with wide eyes in the dark, and the starlight reflected there…

“Fine,” he said, tossing the gun to the side again “I won’t shoot you, I’m far too much of a gentleman to shoot a lady while she’s down.”

“Gentleman, he says, while pinning me to a dirt floor” Marinette mumbled, wriggling slightly to emphasise the point.

Adrien snickered and pinched her side, blushing slightly as he felt his body begin to respond to the way she moved beneath him. “Don’t do that.”

She giggled. But it wasn’t her usual giggle, it was a sudden burst of frantic noise that perked his interest. Marinette must have seen that spark in his eye because there was a look of dread in hers before he released her wrists suddenly and attacked her middle with wiggling fingers.

“No! Adrien! _Not fair_!” she managed to gasp between bursts of laughter as he tickled her to the point of tears.

“What? I said I wouldn’t shoot you, but Nino asked to be avenged!” Adrien was grinning so fiercely his cheeks hurt.

“You’re a bad kitty” she mumbled, still laughing as he continued to tickle her.

Adrien paused in his attack for a moment, allowing her a moment to breathe, and leaned close so his face was hovering over hers, their noses almost touching as he mumbled back “but I’m your bad kitty, my lady” then sat up again, before he could give in to the temptation to do something stupid like kiss her, and declared a little louder “besides, you shot the groom! And with his dying breath, he asked to be avenged!”

“You’re such a dork” Mari giggled.

“Plus, when I asked to be avenged I didn’t realise you’d be using it as an excuse to feel up young women in a forest.” Nino’s voice startled them both, and they looked up to find him and Alya watching them with smirks on their faces.

“She felt me up first” Adrien defended weakly after a moment, though he only now realised his hands and been under Marinette’s shirt, knowing that probably looked a lot worse than it should…

“She’ll tell me all about it later” Alya winked “but can I have her back please, the nerf wars are over, the bachelor’s surrendered, and Chloe’s making celebratory margaritas in our cabin.”

Adrien slowly got up, offering a hand to help Mari up too, which she accepted. She squeezed his hand once before letting it go, giving him a grin over her shoulder as she and Alya headed back towards the girl's cabin, chattering and giggling, no doubt about the position they had just been caught in.

Nino watched as Adrien stared after Marinette, who looked over her shoulder at him no less than three times, and smirked to himself. His friends were smitten with each other, he knew it, hell the whole city probably knew.

“Soooo….” He nudged Adrien out of his stupor.

“What?”

“What do you mean ‘what?’ You chase a girl into the wood, pin her to the floor and have your hands _under her shirt_ when we find you not hours after telling me you don’t want to pursue anything because your ‘technically’ her boss!”

Adrien ran a hand through his hair “I never said I didn’t _want_ to pursue anything… I just didn’t think it would be a good idea.”

“Oh, but _that_ was fine?” Nino waved his hands towards the floor where they’d found him and Mari.

Adrien looked chagrined, turning away from Nino and running a hand over his face.

“Look, dude, I love you and I don’t want to think bad of you, but please tell me you’re not trying to get into her pants without thinking it through first?” Nino asked, his tone deathly serious.

It was only in moments like this, when Nino’s protective edge came into play, that Adrien was reminded just how long Nino and Marinette had known one another. They’d been friends since their toddler years after all.

“Of course not!” Adrien flinched, he could understand why Nino would have that worry after the way they’d just been caught. “I told you, I don’t want to hurt her… but I can’t seem to stay away from her either.” He felt like an addict. When he’d first started sneaking into her apartment after she was attacked he told himself it was to protect her, later he told himself it was because they were partners and it was normal to hang out together. Now he knew they were just excuses. Just as he’d made excuses to see her before he found out her identity. He enjoyed her company, he craved it, and when she wasn’t there he felt like something was missing.

She made him feel whole.

“Well, I hope you decide what you want soon” Nino clasped his shoulder, tugging him in the direction of their own cabin “y’ know, before she decides for you I mean.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you’ve seen the way Mari gets when she’s drawing a new design right?”

“You mean the whole ‘sit in her pyjamas all day until I threaten to lock her out of her sewing room until she eats something’?”

“No, that’s the sewing stage. I mean the designing stare. Where she’s all focused, adding little details and sometimes just sits and stares at it, thinking, considering… and then she decides if she wants to make a change” Nino told him sagely, lifting his head as he tried to mimic the expression. “Anyway, what I mean is that’s what Mari does about a bunch of big decisions if you watch her. She sits, she waits, she thinks… and _boom_ she takes action. Usually, so quickly you wonder if time stopped because she’s managed to practically bullet point everything she needs to do to get from point A to point B. It’s like magic. What I mean is I don’t think she’ll be the flustered fourteen-year-old girl she was last time she tried to ask you on a date. I think she’ll face you like she faces the rest of her problems, calm, steady. I’d hate if you destroyed that steady confidence she’s built because you’re worried you’ll hurt her, or ruin her career.”

They had reached the cabin now, and Adrien was mulling over Nino’s words. He recognised what he meant about Marinette’s behaviour, but while Nino associated it with her designing, Adrien knew it from watching her as Ladybug. Seeing the amazing and sometimes ridiculous plans she could come up with to tackle Akuma’s…

Was that really what she was doing, waiting to assess the situation before deciding to make a move?

“Why are you so convinced she actually wants to date me, maybe she’s just fine being friends?” Adrien asked lamely, using his last line of defence to get Nino to drop the topic.

“You mean besides the fact I have eyes dude?” Nino raised an eyebrow “did she look like she as pushing you off her back there? Or how about the fact you’re both always finding a reason to touch each other, or smile, or blush? I can make a list if you need more?”

“No, no need for a list I get it…” and a mixed feeling of anxiety and hope was beginning to brew in his belly but Nino didn’t need to know that. “I’ll… I’ll try to keep myself in check, but I’m not going to push her away. I like her, I admit it, but I’m cautious… so much could go wrong you know?”

“Yeah” Nino sighed “but so much more could go _right_ , dude. But I get it. How about we forget all this girl trouble and just chill out with the guys yeah? I think Max was hooking up the new Mecha Strike when I came to find you.”

“Great, I don’t think any of the guys have clocked as much time on these games as I have, or have Mari’s freakish skills.”

“I’m totally going to tell her you called her skills ‘freakish’ dude.”

“I thought you wanted us together, why would you sabotage me like that?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, I did plan to have this chapter up last week, but unfortunately, my grandpa passed away. It was kind of expected, he's had cancer the last 11 months, but when he got out of the hospital for an infection they told us 'a few weeks at most' and he was gone four days later so yeah, still a shock. 
> 
> So if this chapter seems a bit flat in places, it's because I've worked on parts while feeling quite... meh. 
> 
> But hopefully a cute party chapter is good for everyone!


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

Alya bit into the chocolate croissant and moaned “urgh, I forgot how good breakfasts at yours are Mari. I need to start doing this again.”

“What, coming over to eat my food?” Mari snickered, sipping her coffee.

“Yep. Breakfast. I like pop tarts, but I love this croissant.”

“Yeah, but we both know you love your bed more than the croissants and the pop tarts; you’d have to get up much earlier to make it here for breakfast before going to work.”

“Damn, always something to keep us apart.”

Marinette rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to her television. Ever since they had gotten back from the bachelorette/bachelor weekend, Alya had been staying at her apartment. She’d decided to spend the week away from Nino, their only contact over the phone, until the wedding to make the moment she walked to the aisle all the sweeter (in her own words). Marinette didn’t mind, though because Alya was staying at hers Nino had decided to stay with Adrien over the week. This meant that for the last four days she hadn’t seen Adrien either (or at least, outside of patrols which they both had to sneak out to now). He was still texting her when he could, but the flirting he’d been doing before the weekend had lessened enough for her to notice. She wondered if he was worried about how Alya and Nino had teased them when they found them in the forest, but she couldn’t think of a way to reassure him without making it awkward.

It didn’t help that the memory of his fingers, calloused from his years fencing and playing the piano she supposed, grazing over her skin, had started to visit her in her dreams.

God, she hoped she didn’t talk in her sleep. But she didn’t think Alya would have let her remain oblivious if she did.

Focusing on the TV, Marinette realised it was another chat show host talking about the lack of attacks over the last few weeks, and wondering why Ladybug hadn’t declared the city safe once more during the time of peace.

“Because obviously, she doesn’t think it is safe, moron” Alya muttered, picking a pastry flake off her shirt and licking it off her finger.

“Mm,” Mari mumbled, touching her torn ear. No one had noticed the injury over the weekend, so she was beginning to think what Adrien had told her about it being hardly noticeable now was true. Or perhaps it was the magic of her disguise working to deflect attention off it to lessen the chance anyone could identify her as Ladybug. She’d have to ask Tikki.

The show’s host and guests went on to discuss if Enenra had simply moved on, or if something more sinister had happened to her which was why the hero’s weren’t admitting anything. They even played segments of the interview Carapace had done for the Ladyblog, where he had tried to emphasis to the public that Enenra was every bit as dangerous as Hawkmoth had been when it came to putting civilians in danger, and that as far as they knew anyone could become a Yokai victim, it didn’t matter on an emotional state like the Akuma’s had. The show’s host tried to use this to explain his theory that Ladybug had killed Enenra’ because she was so dangerous, and Marinette felt her scowl deepen.

“Wow, he knows nothing about Ladybug” Alya sounded angry, waving the half-eaten croissant at the TV “I prefer the guest, its far more plausible for Enenra to have just skipped town. She better not have mind, I don’t care what Chat did to her leg, it’ll look like nothing when I through with her for what she did to your ear!”

Marinette blinked, not quite sure she’d heard her right.

Turning slowly, she saw Alya giving her a sideways look from the corner of her eye, nibbling slightly on the croissant as she waited for a reaction.

Wait…

“Rena Rogue?! What the hell!”

Alya let out a relieved laugh, turning to face her fully “nice to finally meet you outside of the mask LB. Honestly, I’ve been waiting for ages to tell you I knew, I just didn’t know how to bring it up.”

“And that’s what you went with?” Marinette deadpanned, feeling the headache beginning to build behind her eyes from breaking the magic that hid their identities. Of course, it wasn’t nearly as painful or shocking as it had been when she’d realised Adrien was Chat, but it still wasn’t a pleasant sensation as her skull started to throb.

“Well I didn’t want to approach you as Ladybug and say I knew your identity, you’re a bit of a hard-ass when you’re wearing your mask, Marinette is far more approachable about knowing something I’m not supposed to know.”

“I don’t know… what…” Marinette struggled to find anything to say, and finally asked weakly “…did you just call me a hard ass?”

“Ladybug is a hard ass, Marinette is the gooey centre. But I guess that’s because Marinette is the identity behind the lady leading a bunch of hooligans like us.” Alya laughed.

“Does this mean we can come out now?” a small voice asked. Looking up Marinette noticed two kwami’s on the high shelf, Tikki and a fox kwami she’d met once before at Master Fu’s. Trixx.

“Of course, feel free, you don’t need to hide” Marinette waved her consent at them, rubbing her head, still focused on Alya. “I mean… I guess I should ask how you figured it out? You did figure it outright, because if Chat told you I’ll hang him off the tower by my yoyo…”

“He didn’t” Alya looked momentarily annoyed but shrugged it away “it was your ear, actually. I saw it when you were Marinette, and then I saw the same injury on Ladybug hours later. It was just too obvious, but I don’t think I would have noticed if my attention wasn’t drawn to it so don’t worry about your identity too much.”

Marinette touched her ear again and felt Tikki who had perched on her shoulder touch her cheek to offer comfort.

“I’m also going to tell you now, because he gave me permission to do it, and it’ll save you another headache, later on, Nino is Carapace-”

Marinette shut her eyes and counted to five. What were the chances that her teammates were also her best friends? She wondered if Master Fu had chosen the four of them on purpose. The man did like strong bonds.

“-And since your Ladybug, I’m going to take a wild guess and assume Adrien is Chat Noir.”

Marinette didn’t say anything to deny or confirm, it wasn’t her place, but Alya took one look at her expression and nodded as if that alone had confirmed her assumptions. Maybe it had. Mari could only assume what her expression was after this surprise.

“Are you okay Marinette?” Tikki asked.

“Fine, just surprised. Wondering If I can make last-minute tweaks to your wedding to include something subtly fox and turtle themed…”

“You do that and I’ll be making sure your wedding to Adrien is Ladybug and Cat themed” Alya warned.

“Married? We’re not even together!”

“Give it time!” Alya laughed. Marinette found it infectious, soon laughing with her, despite the headache and the shock.

“I’m glad it was you, Alya. I am, it’s… almost reliving actually, to know my best friend is also my teammate, and we can actually talk about this stuff now!” Marinette confessed once she got control of her laughter.

“I know” Alya sighed, her laughter dying to giggles. “Honestly I think I was in denial for a few hours after I realised… Trixx said that was part of why my headache was so damn painful. I couldn’t believe that sweet, quiet, gentle Marinette was my badass superheroine role model and team leader! Not to mention girl, that you’ve been lying to me for literal years. Years! I bet you even threw me off course deliberately when I was close to finding out Ladybug’s identity, like when I found that school book, it was yours, wasn’t it?”

“Guilty” Mari giggled, not looking at all ashamed. “But if you’re going to be mad at me you have to be mad at Adrien too, he’s been Chat Noir just as long as I’ve been Ladybug!”

Alya shrugged, and got that sour look on her face again at his mention. Marinette felt herself sobering, despite the happy revelation that it was Alya wielding the fox miraculous, as she switched from happy friend to concerned leader.

“Alright, now I know your Rena I can ask you something that’s been bothering me. What’s your problem with Chat Noir?”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb Alya, you know what I mean. You’re always needling him, you make sly remarks, you provoke him, and when he’s mentioned you look like you’ve been sucking on a lemon. But you’re fine with Adrien. What gives?”

“I didn’t know for certain Adrien was Chat until I asked you just now” she pointed out.

“So, what, does that mean you’re going to start treating Adrien the same way you treat Chat?” Mari raised an eyebrow. Alya looked away, not confirming or denying anything, so Mari continued speaking in a firm but gentle tone “I’ve been meaning to speak to you – to Rena – about this for a while, but with the whole ‘getting attacked’ thing it obviously got pushed to the side. I’m not asking you to be best-friends with Chat, I know that despite whatever issue you have with him I can trust you to still work together as a team, but the bickering needs to stop. Chat… Adrien, already apologised for leaving all those years ago. And now you know who he is you can understand why he left, right?”

Alya sighed, chewing the last bite of her croissant slowly before she spoke again “I know. It makes more sense now, sure but I don’t think I was really angry with him for just leaving… and I can’t seem to help it. Whenever I see Chat it just… It’s like his there’s this horrible ugly monster in my stomach and it just wants to punch him in his stupid cat face…”

Marinette blinked “if you’re not angry with him for leaving then why are you angry with him?”

Turning just slightly enough that she was facing Marinette, Alya raised an eyebrow and asked, “Remember what happened the year after he left?”

Marinette knew what she was alluding to immediately. Alya saw the shift in her friend’s expression and nodded. “But… that wasn’t Chat’s fault!” Mari protested.

“Wasn’t yours either, but that’s not my issue with it. You know what I mean.”

Mari shifted uncomfortably “I thought we agreed not to talk about it, you know I don’t like remembering that night… probably one of the worst of my life. Besides, even if Chat had been there the outcome might have been the same…”

“No, it wouldn’t” Alya shook her head “you know it as well as I do. Chat adored you, and he had your back. He was your partner and he always made sure you were safe. If he’d stuck around, no one would have gotten hurt, and you wouldn’t have blamed yourself for things out of your control. Also, while we are on the topic, I just realised you lied to me for a whole summer about why you were hurt and I feel really dumb for believing your stupid excuse.”

“Yeah, you’ve believed a lot of weird stuff over the years honestly” Mari nodded, adding more seriously “but you can’t blame Chat for what happened back then. Maybe you should talk to him about how your feeling? It might be easier to talk to Adrien out of the mask, if looking at Chat makes you so upset?”

“Maybe,” Alya told her, giving a half shrug “maybe not. I’m angry with Chat, not Adrien, even though they’re the same person… I don’t even know if that makes sense.”

“No, I get it, sometimes it’s easy to see them as two different people. He’s always been much more confident of himself as Chat, especially when we were younger.”

Alya’s expression suddenly lit up like a lightbulb “oh. My. God. I’ve just realised… all that time you were crushing on Adrien, and Chat was crushing on Ladybug, and you where Ladybug and Adrien was Chat, and you rejected Chat for-“

“-shut up, shut up, shut up!” Marinette screeched, hitting Alya with the nearby couch cushion making the redhead splutter and laugh.

“Oh god, that must be so awkward!” Alya still laughed “I’m sorry, it’s heart-breaking really, but I can’t stop laughing it’s so… stupid.”

“I know!” Mari groaned, dropping her cushion assault and flopping back onto the couch “it’s pathetic, isn’t it? I loved Adrien, he loved Ladybug, and I wasn’t in love with Chat… Marinette wasn’t even in that triangle, I didn’t stand a chance against, well, myself!”

“Don’t be stupid. Self-deprecation isn’t a good look on you” Alya scolded gently “it wasn’t that Marinette wasn’t in that picture, it’s just that Adrien had Ladybug on a pedestal no girl could reach. Plus I’m still confident he did like you as more than a friend M’, I’d be willing to bet my miraculous on it actually – right Trixx?”

“Oh yes, todd’s are all the same. Very predictable” the fox kwami spoke up from the shelf, where she and Tikki seemed to have curled up for naps. Tikki half-opened one blue eye, obviously still listening to the conversation, and somehow conveying the ‘I-told-you-so’ message with just that look towards Marinette.

“And it’s not like he’s doing that now, is he?” Alya pointed out “If anything I’d say it was Marinette who caught his eye over Ladybug now. Some time away probably helped him put in perspective how much he idolized your alter-ego.”

“Or maybe it has more to do with how my alter-ego put his dad in prison and nearly ruined his life?”

“Oh. Yeah, that might add a damper too. But that’s his dad’s fault, not yours.”

Marinette did not look convinced, taking the cushion she’d used to beat Alya a moment ago, and pressed it to her face to smother the loud groan she made. Alya was a bit concerned how long her friend was going to try and suffocate herself until her phone made a loud beep and Marinette’s head shot up from the cushion to grab the phone.

“Let me guess…?” Alya smirked.

Mari blushed “it’s just Adrien saying good morning, apparently they had a late night. Nino had a dream that you stood him up at the altar and kept Adrien up worrying about it.”

Alya rolled her eyes, getting up from the couch to find her own phone “poor guy. Suppose I better ring, my fiancé, before he worries himself to death and I become a young widow.”

“I think you need to be married first to become a widow.”

“Nah, we’ve been married for years, this is just a party and a piece of paper” Alya laughed, disappearing into the bedroom. Marinette used her absence to text Adrien back.

 **M:** _Good Morning to you too Kitty. Alya’s going to call Nino so he stops freaking out on you._

 **A:** _Oh good, I haven’t had enough coffee for this yet. How was your night with Alya?_

 **M:** _Good. Except she still kicks in her sleep, I hope bruises are an ‘in’ look this season._

 **A:** _You’re sharing a bed?_

 **M:** _Of course, I only have one._

 **A:** _… so many thoughts in my head right now._

 **M** : _Get your mind out of the gutter. Bad kitty._

 **A:** _How did you know it was even in the gutter? I was just thinking about how my best friend’s fiancé is technically sleeping with someone else. The shame. It’s your mind in the gutter My Lady, naughty bug!_

 **M:** _Ha-ha. Listen, I have something I should probably tell you._

 **A:** _Sounds serious, I’m listening. Or watching. Because we’re texting. You know what I mean._

 **M:** _So… Rena Rogue and Carapace have figured out our civilian identities. It’s my fault completely, she said it was my ear that gave it away. She recognised it when she saw me as a civilian. I’m so sorry._

 **A:** _*Adrien is typing*_

 **A:** _*Adrien is typing*_

 **A** : * _Adrien is typing*_

Marinette chewed on her lip as she waited for him to respond. In the bedroom she could hear Alya laughing, knowing she was talking to Nino, so Nino probably wasn’t distracting Adrien from responding quickly. Tikki must have sensed her anxiety, because the kwami abandoned her napping spot beside Trixx on the shelf and floated down to sit on Marinette’s shoulder, leaning on her cheek as she too watched the little ‘typing’ bubble appear and disappear from the screen as they waited on a response.

**A:** _It’s not your fault at all Marinette, don’t apologise. Besides, I was trying to figure out how to tell you that Carapace had figured us out as well! Nino told me last night (actually it was very early this morning but it was still dark so that counts right?). I freaked out, I wanted to tell you immediately but I didn’t want you to freak out too. I know how much you believe in keeping identities a secret._

**M:** _Alya called me a hard-ass for that._

 **A:** _A hard ass?_

 **M:** _She said Ladybug is a hard-ass but Marinette is the gooey centre_

 **A** : _Huh… weird. Makes sense. I wouldn’t have called you ‘gooey’ though. ‘Sweet’ is much better._

 **M** : _if this is how everyone sees me I may have to revamp my image… be more ‘Ladybug’ out of the mask…_

 **A:** _Why? Nothing wrong with being sweet, I wouldn’t change you at all Marinette._

 **M:** _Now who’s being sweet?_

 **A:** _Guilty. What can I say, I’ve a sweet tooth… and I’m going to get sweeter, and admit, I miss hanging out with you._

 **M:** _It’s only been a few days! And we still see each other for patrol!_

 **A:** _A few days too long my Lady! What can I say, I’d gotten in the habit of hanging out with you all night… I don’t like our goodbyes._

 **M** : _You’ve never liked our goodbyes._

 **A:** _Guilty again. Don’t you miss me too Buginette?_

 **M** : _… maybe._

 **A:** _Me-owch!_

 **M** : _Haha. Of course, I miss you. But I will admit, it’s a lot easier to finish the bridesmaid dresses when I’m not trying to shoo you out of the room every few seconds._

 **A** : _Oooh, did you finish them? Can I see it?_

 **M:** _yes, and no!_

 **A:** _Aww, just a peek?_

 **M** : _No, you can wait just like everyone else._

 **A:** _Aww._

 **M** : _It’s only another day._

 **A:** _Not soon enough! And I don’t mean the dresses. I love hanging out with Nino, don’t get me wrong, but I really do miss you Marinette. Plus you don’t try to entertain me with lovesick stories about Alya…_

 **M:** _Hahaha, is he pining for her already? That’s so sweet. And I really do miss you too._

 **A** : _It’s not sweet for me, he’s telling me some things I really don’t need to know about Alya!_

 **M:** _Hahahaha_

 **A:** _Laughing at my suffering bugaboo?_

 **M:** _Laughing at your dramatics more like._

 **A:** _Rude._

 **M:** _come on, their relationship is adorable. I’m almost jealous sometimes._

 **A:** _Jealous? Ah, do you secretly want Alya all to yourself? Scandalous!_

 **M** : _Like you don’t want Nino all to yourself._

**A:** _Never denied it… But I know what you mean. It’s easy to be jealous of their relationship when you want something like that too._

**M:** _Yeah, but… I guess there’s someone out there for everyone. Finding them isn’t easy though!_

 **A:** _… I think searching closer to home is probably best. I didn’t have much dating luck outside of Paris…_

 **M** : _Have you had much dating luck in Paris then?_

 **A:** _… Touché. But I’m hopeful. I better go, Plagg is bugging Nino for cheese. I’ll see you for patrol later?_

 **M:** _Sure, I might be a little late as I have a final few touches to add to the dresses._

**A:** _I’ll wait for you, My Lady X_

Marinette hesitated briefly, but replied a single ‘X’ in return, not sure about the giddy surge she’d felt at his unprompted text kiss, but dismissed it when she realised Alya was watching her from the bedroom doorway with a smirk.

“What?”

“Oh nothing, I was just wondering how long you were going to keep texting Adrien with that goofy grin on your face. So, did he say anything interesting or were you just flirting?”

“ _I’mnotflirting_!” Marinette half yelled, feeling her face burn as Alya laughed.

“Very convincing. Come on, what did he say?”

“He… he didn’t say anything… but he-uh- he added a kiss when he texted goodbye.”

“He what?” Alya raised an eyebrow, coming closer when Marinette turned her phone screen so Alya could see the text. “Oooh, and you said you weren’t flirting, you sent a kiss back!”

“I didn’t know what else to do!”

“No, it’s good, that’s a good response. He’d probably wonder if he freaked you out if you didn’t reply at all” Alya assured her, grabbing her arms to stop Marinette from flapping in a panic. She started smiling when she did, which Marinette noticed after a moment.

“Why are you smiling like that? Did I do something? Oh god, what if he freaked out that I sent a kiss with no words?!”

“No, and trust me he won’t be freaking out. I just… this just reminded me of our sleepovers when we were in school. You freaking out over Adrien, talking about boys in general actually… this might sound crazy, but how about we go shopping, picking up a bunch of pampering stuff and junk food and act like it’s one of our sleepovers again for old times’ sake?”

“I…” Mari paused, remembering their old sleepovers herself. They usually involved binge-watching movies, plenty of ice cream, and winding each other up about their crushes (as well as actually trying to talk to their crushes, at least in Marinette’s case). It was fun, carefree. Sadly their sleepovers had been less frequent after Marinette became Ladybug – she’d worried about trying to sneak off if there was an attack or for patrol. “That sounds like a great idea, plus I need to get some real food too since someone ate it all…”

“I resent that, we both ate it. Come on then let’s get ready!”

******

Marinette was counting the ceiling tiles of the market while Alya tried to find the ‘perfect’ bottle of wine to go with their ‘last sleepover ever’ night as she’d now deemed it. Both of them knew it was unlikely to be their ‘last’ sleepover. Far too often had their impromptu girls nights ended with one of them falling asleep at the others apartment, but Marinette knew what Alya meant. It was their ‘last’ sleepover before she was officially married, it as special. And thus, apparently, required the perfect wine.

Which was fine too, except Marinette had done her entire grocery shop while Alya was choosing and she still wasn’t finished…

Adrien had texted her again a few minutes ago. Apparently, he and Nino were spending the day at the giant arcade where Max worked, along with Kim and Alix. They seemed to be having a lot more fun than Marinette was waiting for Alya to choose a wine.

He’d added a kiss to the end of his text again, she managed to suppress any reaction to that to avoid Alya knowing, but she had to admit it warmed her heart to see the simple ‘x’.

“Marinette?” someone calling her name startled her.

She turned and met a familiar face. “Sophia?”

“It is you, oh, it’s good to see you Marinette!” Sophia walked a bit further into the aisle, her own half-full basket of shopping on her arm, and smiling. Marinette wouldn’t say it, but Sophia looked exhausted. She was pale, and there where visible dark circles under her dark eyes, her brunette hair pulled into an obviously rushed ponytail.

“It’s good to see you too, oh, you remember my friend Alya?” Marinette nodded when she felt Alya at her elbow.

“I do, it’s good to meet you again” the brunette nodded towards Alya.

“Same” Alya said, her voice pleasant, but there was a tone there that Marinette didn’t think Sophia had noticed that made Mari aware Alya wasn’t all that pleased to see Sophia again, though she couldn’t understand why.

“We’ve missed you at the office” Marinette decided to say, before Alya could give any more hints about her dislike of Sophia.

“I know, I miss you all too, but I hear your project with Mr Agreste is going well.” Sophia nodded sadly “I’m sorry I couldn’t be more involved but, well, I don’t have anyone else who can look after my son when he takes a turn for the worst…”

“I heard you were off because your son was sick, is he alright?”

“Good days and bad days, thank you for asking though. I’m hoping to be back at work soon, he’s on a phased return to school at the minute and seems to be handling it quite well… so, fingers crossed.”

“Mom, I got the-“ a voice came from behind Sophia, but before the speaker could finish there was a loud clatter, and the three women turned to see a young boy, no older than fifteen if Marinette had to guess. It wasn’t hard to tell that this was Sophia’s son, he had the same brunette hair, her splattering of freckles on his cheeks and the same shaped nose. His eyes however where a bright blue, a far cry from Sophia’s dark brown ones. He stood in the aisle just behind Sophia looking sheepish as he tried to right the standee he’d managed to knock over, scrambling to catch the three cans that had been stacked on the display with it.

“Oh, Avery…” Sophia sighed gently, helping him to set the standee back up so it would stand on its own and checking he was alright, smoothing her hand over his cheek. He looked embarrassed when he realised Alya and Marinette were watching, blushing and muttering that he was okay as he tried to look anywhere but at the three of them.

“Mom, I’m fine” he managed to tell her more firmly after a moment or two, meeting his mother’s eyes.

“Are you sure? I know-“

“-it’s okay, it was an accident. I just… didn’t see it” he shrugged.

“And look, none of the cans even got dented, so no harm done” Alya pointed out, picking up one of the wayward cans and putting it back on the shelf. No matter her apparent dislike of Sophia, Marinette knew Alya liked kids, and wouldn’t hold whatever grudge she had against his mother against the boy.

Sophia didn’t look convinced, but she cast a final wary glance over her son before giving a half-smile towards Alya and Marinette. “Thank you. Avery, this is Marinette, I work with her, and her friend Alya. This is my son, Avery.”

“It’s nice to meet you Avery” Alya and Marinette both said in unison.

“You too” he greeted them with a nod, in typical teenager fashion, and turned back to his mom “I got the squash you wanted.”

“Oh good, that was the last thing I needed, well that and a bottle of wine – single mom and all that” Sophia laughed, grabbing a random bottle from the shelf and adding it to the basket on her arm. “Well, I better get this one home. I hope I’ll see you again soon Marinette, and you Alya.”

“Yes, hopefully,” Marinette agreed, while Alya just shrugged and waved “see you later!”

Alya waited a few moments after Sophia and her son had disappeared around the corner before she turned the Marinette and said: “I don’t know what it is about her but she just gives me a vibe.”

“A vibe?” Marinette asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah like… I don’t know. She’s just too nice, you know?”

“Too nice?”

“Yeah, I mean…. I don’t know. It’s just a feeling.” Alya looked as puzzled as she sounded, shrugging “plus what’s all that about her not being at work because her son is sick? He looked okay to me.”

“Maybe it’s not that kind of sick Alya, we shouldn’t judge” Marinette pointed out “and she did say he was getting well enough to go back to school. I don’t know too much about it, but whatever it is, Adrien seems to think it’s enough to give her the time off.”

“Yeah, but Adrien’s as nice as you are, he could totally be played the fool.”

“I still think your just jealous Nino called her ‘sweet’ one time.”

“Pfft, hardly” Alya rolled her eyes “just… be warned. She gives me a bad vibe. I wouldn’t be shocked if she turned out to be embezzling or something. Or running a drug ring maybe?”

Marinette snorted “maybe you’ve been Rena Rogue too long, seeing criminals everywhere.”

Alya snorted too, finally selecting a bottle of wine from the shelf “har-har boss-bug, but remember if I turn out to be right I totally get to tell you ‘I-told-you-so’.”

“I’d say you can tattoo it to me if you turn out to be right but I’ve learned not to make such bets with you.”

Alya cackled, suddenly realising “oh my god, Adrien saw your Chat Noir tattoo!”

“Don’t remind me” Marinette groaned.

“Has he mentioned it?” Alya was trying to hold back her laughter, and doing a poor job of it.

“Yes. He was very happy to learn I’m ‘Chat Noir’s biggest fan’ and then he offered to get a Ladybug tattoo so we match.”

Alya turned into a fit of giggles right there in the aisle beside the wine, while Marinette tried to hold back the infectious laughter in an effort to look just slightly annoyed with her. She knew she wasn’t doing a good job, no matter how hard she tried to frown, her lips kept twitching into a grin.

“Excuse me, do you two have to make so much noise?” a voice interrupted them. They both turned to find the speaker, a woman around their age with tan skin and dark hair, a crutch tucked under one of her arms, glaring at them from the top of the aisle disapprovingly.

“Sorry, we’ll try and keep it down” Marinette apologised. Alya just rolled her eyes.

“I should think so, at your ages, you’re not school children” the woman sounded irritated, limping towards them on her crutch.

“I am sorry… could I help you reach anything?” Marinette asked, noticing how the injured woman was looking towards the top shelf and guessing she’d struggle to reach that far with her crutch.

The stranger looked offended “I can do it myself, I don’t need some random do-gooder to help me! Do you even know who I am?”

“Um…” Marinette was surprised by the response.

“Hey” Alya scowled “she only offered to help you, no need to be rude.”

The woman looked Alya up and down once and looked away with a sniff, dismissing her. “I don’t need your help.”

“Fine, good luck getting that bottle of wine you're looking at,” Alya told her, pulling Marinette by her arm “c’mon girl, some people just aren’t worth it.”

Marinette agreed with Alya, there was no helping people who simply didn’t want it, though the woman’s abrupt attitude had left her feeling a bit unsettled. As she was dragged away she couldn’t help looking back over her shoulder, watching the woman trying to reach the bottle on the top shelf while stopping herself from toppling into the shelf completely, and still felt compelled to go back and help whether she wanted it or not. It was only Alya’s grip on her arm that stopped her.

“Some people are just like that” Alya said as the reached the checkout, as if reading Marinette’s mind “don’t think on it, we weren’t doing anything wrong and she did a total ‘Chloe’ on us. ‘Do you know who I am?’ woman, this is Paris. If I had to memorise the name of everyone who thought they were a ‘someone’ I’d not remember my own name!”

“I still feel bad” Marinette told her, before getting an idea. She tapped the shoulder of a passing employee of the market and said “sorry to be a bother, but there’s a lady that might need help in the wine aisle, she’s on crutches and I’m just concerned she might call into the bottles.”

“No bother, I’ll make sure she’s okay” the employee smiled politely, heading towards the aisle.

Alya shook her head “too nice for your own good sometimes.”

They paid for their groceries before going to the bakery for lunch at the bakery with Marinette’s parents, spending a few hours talking with Sabine and Tom about the plans for the wedding in a few days, until it was time to head home.

“I still need to do a few final alterations to the dresses,” Marinette told Alya as they were entering her apartment “and then I need to go on patrol with Chat, but after that, I’m all yours for the night.”

Alya didn’t say anything for a moment, helping her unpack the groceries.

“Well… what if I do the patrol with Chat while you do the dresses?” she suggested after a moment.

“Huh?” Mari paused, giving Alya a look.

“I just mean… I’m still not sure how I feel about being right that Adrien is Chat, but I have been thinking about what you said this morning. Maybe it’s a good thing we talk before we have to see each other at the wedding” Alya played with the ends of her hair awkwardly “I don’t want to find out

I’m angry with Adrien too on the day, it would upset Nino if he couldn’t have us all together because of my anger.”

“Um…” Marinette stared at her for a moment. “I… are you sure?”

“Totally, and Trixx is up for an extra patrol anyway.”

“Yip yip!” Trixx’s disembodied voice agreed from somewhere in Alya’s hair where the fox kwami liked to hide.

“Well, I guess… I mean if you’re totally sure you don’t mind… it’ll help me, I might even get the dresses finished by tonight that way…” Marinette chewed on her lip “I should warn Adrien about the switch though, he’ll worry.”

“No, don’t, I’ll explain to him, but despite what Nino say’s Adrien is really good at hiding his feelings. He won’t want to upset Nino or you by being irritated with me for my behaviour towards him, I’d rather not let him have the time to repress that before we talk. You were right. We need to get it out in the open.”

“Um, okay…” Marinette wasn’t convinced, but gave Alya a firm look “as long as it’s only a talk and not an excuse to have a fight.”

“I promise it won’t be a physical fight.”

Marinette stared, but Alya only shrugged, and she knew it was probably the best she was going to get. She’d apologise to Adrien for the switch later, hopefully after his relationship with Alya was repaired.

******

Chat Noir stood on the edge of the Eiffel tower and looked at the city, beginning to come to life with twinkling lights as the last rays of the sun disappeared over the horizon. There was still a bitter chill in the air, especially up as high as he was, but it didn’t bother him too much. It meant his breath hung in the air as a mist before getting snatched by the breeze though, and he knew Plagg would complain that he came out so early for patrol even though she’d warned him she might be late.

What can he say, he was eager to see her and he didn’t bother to hide it. He’d had to deal with Nino pining for Alya the last few days, but Nino had to deal with him being equally bad (if not worse) over Marinette and they weren’t even together (which Nino pointed out, frequently).

He couldn’t help it. It left a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach to leave her alone. Twice he’d gone out after Nino was asleep as Chat Noir, just to pass by her apartment and make sure everything was quiet there. Maybe he was just paranoid after Enenra attacked her, but he felt he had some right to be. He’d almost lost her.

She, Nino and Alya were probably the best things in his life. He couldn’t stand the thought of losing any of them.

He heard footsteps land behind him and spun around, his triangular ears pricked forwards and tail waving with excitement, but when he saw orange and not read he felt himself deflate.

“What’s happened? Where’s Ladybug?” he asked, tone hard and serious as he regarded Rena Rogue with a keen eye, looking for any sign she’d been in a fight. Had Enenra discovered Marinette’s identity and attacked? Was there a Yokai attack?

“Nothing happened, and Mar-uh-Ladybug is fine. I just asked if we could switch patrol, she had some work to finish up and I – uh – I wanted to clear the air between us” Rena told him, sounding slightly awkward.

Chat stood for a moment, trying to calm himself down, but also surprised. When he’d learned Rena and Alya were one and the same he hadn’t really thought about the icy way Rena had been treating Chat lately. Now that he pointed it out to him, he could see how it might become an issue.

“Oh.” He said.

“Oh?” Rena raised an eyebrow “that all you’re going to say?”

Chat frowned “What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know… I thought you’d be angry with me for how I’ve treated you.”

“Why?” he was confused “I left, you’re angry, it’s understandable.”

Rena laughed, but it wasn’t a nice laugh, more disbelieving “I’m not angry you left you, idiot, I’m angry you hurt her!” she half-shouted, the words nearly stolen by the wind.

For a moment he said nothing, the two hero’s starting at one another across the platform as Paris began to light up the night around them.

“I know I hurt her.” He broke the silence after a few moments, looking away from Rena “I know I don’t deserve her forgiveness, or yours, or anyone's. But I’m doing my best to make up for it.”

“I know you are” Rena sighed, taking a few steps to come and sit beside him “but I think you need to know what happened to her after you left to really understand why I kind of totally hate Chat at the minute.”

He winced “hate?”

“Hated” she corrected herself gently.

“I didn’t realise it was as bad as ‘hate’” he shook his head in disbelief, standing shoulder to shoulder with her.

“I hide it well, we’re teammates and we have a job to do, but yeah I totally hated your guts for quite a while after you left.”

“Did…?” he left the question unfinished.

“Did Ladybug?” she guessed his question anyway, crouching down to sit on the edge of the platform with her legs hanging off the end. “Nah, she never hated you. She was upset for the longest time… but she always said you’d have a reason to disappear like that. She was angry for a while too, but never hate. I think you broke her for a little while.”

“B-broke her?”

“Yeah” Rena leaned back to look up at him, her tone wistful “that’s why I hated you.”

Chat could do nothing for a moment except look back at Rena, even after she dropped his gaze to stare across the city’s skyline again. What did she mean that he’d ‘broken’ her?

“What happened?” he asked her, not sure he actually wanted to know, crouching down to sit beside her.

“Well… after a few months, Master Fu tried to insist that Ladybug choose a new miraculous to be her partner. He even offered to let her choose the wielder, but she refused. She refused to let me or Carapace patrol with her too. I think it was partially denial, I think she wanted you to still have a place on the team if you came back, but she’d never admit it. I think part of it as well as how you’d left, no word, no note, just those cryptic words she took to mean you were done with the partnership” she gave him a sideways glance “you’re an idiot for that by the way.”

“I know.”

“Anyway, I think it was about a year after you left that we – rather Carapace pointed it out actually – that Ladybug was getting a bit…. Reckless. There weren’t Akuma’s to fight anymore, but there’s plenty of regular crime to keep us occupied. Ladybug was putting herself in danger, kind of like you used to do. I don’t know if this was because she felt like someone needed to do it or if she didn’t even notice she was doing it or… I don’t know, maybe she liked the adrenaline rush… maybe she didn’t give a damn if she got hurt.”

Rena paused for a moment, seemingly to collect her thoughts, and Chat stayed silent. Not even his tail twitched as she stayed completely focused on Rena beside him, hanging on her every word. He needed to know how his leaving had effected his partner, knowing she’d probably never admit it to him herself. At least, not as honestly as Rena would.

“Anyway, I don’t suppose you would remember a few years ago, it made the news headlines for like a day or so. The miraculous cure used for the first time in a year since Hawkmoth’s defeat, and no one knew why?”

Chat nodded. He’d heard about it, the headline had almost brought him back to the city in fact. After only a year apart, he still worried for Ladybug when he’d read that headline. Why would she used the cure for no reason? Was there a reason, and just no one else knew? What happened? The only thing that stopped him was his shame, and his fear. Both results of his father’s crimes.

“Only Carapace and I know why” Rena leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand “LB refused a partner, but she still had the sense to call for backup when she needed it thank god. This was kept pretty quiet at the time, but anyway there was this damn drug ring the police had been tracking for ages. LB kind of came across it by accident, and when I say came across it I mean she accidentally found a warehouse where they kept everything from the drugs, weapons, mules, money. They packed it all up in one warehouse, which was pretty stupid. She only found it because she’d seen some guys lure these kids, no older than thirteen I’d guess, promising to pay them if they helped move the stuff she heard him tell them. These kids where from a rough background, you could tell, probably not ever had a decent mean between them – to them it was a great deal I’d bet. Anyway, LB called the cops and then she called me and Carapace for backup. She wanted to let the cops deal with the wannabe cartel, but we’d grab the kids. Good plan, on paper.”

“She didn’t account for the absolutely fucking crazy that comes with pumping yourself full of the drugs you’re supposed to be selling though, not that she could’ve. Before Carapace and I could get there, LB saw one of these guys screaming at the kids they’d brought in, pressing a damn gun to his head. I don’t know why he was screaming at him, or why the gun, I don’t think LB knows or if she even told me. She told me she just acted, she knew those kids were in danger and she couldn’t risk waiting for us or the police she said.”

Chat still clung to every word, though his fists were clenched, claws digging into his hand even through the skin of the suit.

“I…” Rena’s voice choked for a second, so she cleared her throat and tried again “I don’t know exactly what happened, she still doesn’t like to talk about it, and she just says it was a blur. All I know is when Carapace and I got there, these meth-heads are sprinting out of the building like it was on fire, their little leader is knocked out cold, and Ladybug… Ladybug is on the ground bleeding, holding this poor kid…”

Chat felt his stomach lurch nastily, and it had nothing to do with the height at which they were sitting. His tail was lashing now, anger coursing through his veins like liquid fire, but he didn’t dare interrupt her.

“She had to use the cure for the kid. He’d shot the kid. The coward shot a damn kid. Tikki could...could revive the kid, but it meant she couldn’t heal Ladybug completely. We had to get her out of there, she didn’t want to, but Carapace offered to stay and keep the kids safe until the police turned up, while I had to drag Ladybug out of there. She kept saying ‘it was like Chat all over again’ and how she couldn’t save him. I thought she was delirious, of confused or something, it wasn’t until a few weeks later she admitted to me that the kid who was shot had jumped in front of the bullet to save her and his friends. This little kid saw the bad buy aim a gun at his friends, and his hero, and jumped in front of the bullet. She can bring him back from the brink of death, heal him like it never happened, but she couldn’t seem to shift the image out of her head of you. She wondered for… god, for however long, if that was why you’d left her, because you always jumped in front of the danger for her? Because of how many times it was your life she had to save with the miraculous cure? I always told her it was nonsense. That wasn’t why you left. But she blamed herself, all over again.”

“It wasn’t” he spoke quickly, earnestly, almost begging that she believe him “my leaving, it had nothing to do with her. If anything she was my only reason to stay!”

“Not enough of a reason though, was it, because you didn’t stay” Rena pointed out, her tone heated.

Chat looked away “that’s not fair, Alya. I couldn’t drag her into my mess, that wouldn’t have been fair either.”

Her long ear twitched at the use of her true name, and blinked at him a few times. “I know Adrien, I know you didn’t mean to cause the hurt you did, I know you thought it was for the best, but I also think it’s a good idea you know the things Marinette went through without you, and how badly your leaving without a word affected her. I still believe that if you hadn’t left, the cartel-situation would’ve played out very differently. With a lot less blood, at least. I hated how much she blamed herself for everything back then, starting with you leaving, so I hated you. Probably not very fair, but that’s how I felt.”

He didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t sure how the situation would have turned out if he had been there to back Ladybug up like he always had. Would he have distracted the bad guys while she extracted the kids? Would he draw their fire away from them? Would he have gotten hurt instead? All things he’d have gladly done without argument.

True he hadn’t known the years he had been gone had effected Marinette, effected Ladybug, but he didn’t know something so dark had happened. Alya admitting the source of her anger towards him wasn’t entirely his fault was also a shock too. He wanted to talk to Marinette about it. Why hadn’t she ever told him? But he didn’t know how to approach her about it either.

“What do I do now?” he surprised Rena by asking “when I see her again? Do… do I try to get her to talk about it? Do I even tell her I know?”

“Good luck” Rena snorted, though she didn’t sound amused at all “she won’t talk to me about it and I was there for part of it. Do what you want Chat, I’m… not angry with you anymore. Just… just don’t hurt her. She’d had enough of that.”

“Rena… Alya… I swear it, I won’t hurt her.” He swore adamantly, rising up to his knees, “I won’t. I…”

“… You… love her?” Rena finished his sentence, giving him a sly look.

For a moment neither of them breathed, his slitted green eyes blown wide, a mix of surprise and fear, as he stared at her. Alya was sorely tempted to make him answer her question, but she felt a little bad as she saw the panic start to rise in his expression.

“You don’t have to answer that, at least not to me,” she told him, standing up “but you should probably think about it. Everyone else can clearly see you’re an absolutely smitten kitten when it comes to that girl, except the pair of you apparently. But you be careful, because if you break her all over again I won’t be so forgiving.”

“I know… and I am… thinking about it I mean.” He told her honestly, surprising her a little “I don’t want to hurt Marinette, I want to give her the world if I could, she deserves it. But I don’t want to drag her name through the same mud mine was raked through. Besides, I don’t know how she feels, which is kind of important in these decisions.”

“Yeah, kinda” Rena actually laughed “but… I’m relieved you’re not rushing into anything, and thinking about how it might affect your lives. But don’t string her along if you’re not planning to pursue anything in the future Adrien, don’t be one of those guys. If you decide you can’t make her happy, you have to let her go.”

Honestly, the idea of letting Marinette go, of letting her time, her smile, her laughter, go to anyone else, made his stomach turn to lead. He hated the very idea. But Alya was right, if he decided it wasn’t a good idea, he’d need to take a step back from her life.

“I promise,” he told her, even though the words felt like acid on his tongue.

“Good…” she folded her arms “but for the record, I totally think you should go for it… and not only because I’d win like half a dozen bets.”

Chat laughed “nice to know where your stakes are at Foxy Lady.”

“The fact we could go on double dates is also a bonus I’m thinking about,” she told him, snickering “so… how about we get this patrol over and done with?”

“Sound’s great” Chat stood up with her “sooner we get it done, sooner the day ends, sooner it’s your wedding.”

“Sooner you get to see your Lady you mean?”

He smirked at her, and winked “that is certainly a bonus I was thinking about, yes.”

Rena laughed out loud at his bravado as he launched himself off the tower, baton in hand, before she followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Urghmygod this chapter got so long. Honestly, during his talk with Rena, Chat originally had a lot more questions about what happened when Ladybug and the kid where shot, but I was pushing 25+ pages in word and it needed condensing!   
> On the other hand, I hope this solves a few puzzles, mostly regarding Rena's cold behaviour towards Chat which she acknowledges as not being completely his fault but he got the blame anyway. Also why Ladybug was so forgiving with Chat when he returned, despite being very upset at Adrien for it. Seeing a kid sacrifice himself for her and his friends in a manner Chat often did had quite the toll on her, even if Marinette isn't completely ready to talk to her friends about it. She really does strike me as one of those characters that would bottle up her issues until it explodes.   
> Plus, Sophia isn't dead, and we meet her son.   
> Also lol at the rude stranger in the market store. Will she return? Maybe. But hands up if you've ever dealt with someone similar - especially if you work retail!


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

The morning of the wedding, Marinette wasn’t quite certain she’d ever be able to piece together the flurry of activity that took place in her apartment between Alya waking her up screaming with excitement, and finally piling into the limousine. She’d still been in her fluffy pink pyjama bottoms and tank top when Alya’s sisters had arrived, with their mom and Nino’s mom in tow. The mom’s had bought a bottle of champagne, which was quickly opened and glasses poured while Marinette retrieved the bridesmaid dresses from the spare bedroom, presenting each one of them to an audience of excited gasps.

There were two dress designs between the four of them, all a deep midnight blue adorned with silver and white beans that made the flowing skirts sparkle like the night sky – exactly like Alya had asked for – with a slit up the left side of the skirt. Ella and Nora had wanted more conservative dresses, and after talking with Alya about it Marinette had designed a halter neck design that left the shoulders bare, but covered the chest with a loose piece of flowing fabric accenting the bust. The second dress design, for Marinette and Eta, was more like the original design Alya had come up with herself, a spaghetti strap design that plunged low, almost to the belly button.

Mari always took pride in her work, she was a good seamstress and dammit she knew it, but when she finally put the dress on she couldn’t help taking a second to actually admire herself in it. The fabric was stretchy, but soft and silky on her skin. The slit of the skirt could only be noticed if she walked, revealing a teasing flash of leg, and the silver beads sparkled every time they caught the light. She rarely wore something with a neckline plunging so low, frankly, she didn’t think she had the breast size to pull it off, and considering with the neckline of the dress that wearing a bra was next to impossible, she’d been a bit sceptical while she was still designing – but Alya’s wedding, Alya’s rules. She was glad she’d listened to Alya, the dress perfectly accented her chest, bringing a feeling of confidence and sexiness she hadn’t felt in a while. Or perhaps that was more the work of the twins, who had slaved together for half an hour to pull her hair into an elegant up-do, and done her makeup, before gleefully moving off to get Nora and Alya ready too.

When Marinette finally stepped out of her bedroom wearing the dress - paired with a silver shawl over her shoulders, silver heels, and a silver purse where Tikki was hiding – Alya smirked and crossed her arms, giving her best friend a once over. “Oh yeah, I think you-know-who is going to have to pick his jaw up off the floor when he sees you, Mari’”

Marinette fought a blush “that’s nice, but it’s your wedding. Only Nino’s jaw should be dropping.”

“So what? It might be my wedding, but I’m still the best wing-woman.”

“You don’t need to wing-woman at your wedding, you just need to enjoy yourself” Marinette informed her, grinning “you look amazing by the way.”

Alya span around and her grin softened to a more sincere smile as she showed off her grandmother’s dress. It was a bright snow-white dress of lace and tulle, with cap sleeves and a neckline that plunged similarly to the bridesmaid dresses though not as low. The skirt was quite thick with layers of the delicate fabric, which made it flow with Alya’s every movement. In one hand she was holding a bouquet of – Marinette noticed – white and purple Larkspur, just like Adrien had suggested, bound with a deep blue ribbon that matched the bridesmaid dresses.

Making sure no one was looking – no one was, too busy fretting over Eta who had just managed to poke Ella in the eye with the liquid eyeliner brush - Marinette nudged Alya and held her hand out for the bouquet wordlessly. Alya handed it to her, watching curiously as Mari took something from her purse – Tikki peering out, giving Alya a conspiratorial wink before disappearing – and fixed something to the ribbon of her bouquet before handing it back.

Turning the flowers over, Alya paused when she saw what Marinette had done. Attached to the ribbon, on either side of the bow tying the flowers together, where miniature versions of the foxtail necklace and the turtle shell bracelet. Her and Nino’s miraculous. They were barely bigger than a coin, and hardly noticeable unless someone was looking hard, made of jewelled beads, but it was the sentiment behind them that Alya really felt. She and Nino were bound to each other through their friendship, their love, their shared double life, he was her constant.

Alya felt her eyes prickle and had to force the tears not to shed through sheer force of will alone.

Marinette meanwhile, was beginning to feel a bit awkward by the lack of response from Alya, and muttered “uh… we all made it. Um, I mean Tikki and Trixx helped out a lot. I doubt I could have made the patters so precise without their help, big fingers and small beads and all-“

“-thank you!” Alya surprised her with a sudden hug, muttering another quiet thank you to Trixx and Tikki too, knowing the kwami’s would hear her, but not wanting to draw attention from their company.

Shortly after they fixed Ella’s eye and Eta’s hair, and were bundled into the limousine together.

Alya and Nino had decided to get married at an events venue within the city walls, with plenty of room for all their guests, and within their price budget. After all, Nino had told them, it wasn’t about the place to them, as long as it was a place where they could make memories with their family and friends. It was a beautiful sentiment, Marinette thought, until he’d ruined it just slightly by adding that those memories meant a venue with enough room for a large party and a bar able to withstand their friends. Still, it was a beautiful place, Mari thought as the limousine arrived, especially as a flurry of thick snowflakes finally began to fall around them.

“Figures,” Etta said as they got out of the limousine “we don’t get a white Christmas, but sure enough it snows for your wedding Alya, and I have no coat!”

“I guess the weather gods just love me” Alya quipped back, laughing as she lifted her skirt to make sure it didn’t get ruined as she half-ran half-walked to the venue entrance, trying not to slip on the path. The rest of them followed suit, similarly laughing, before the twins dashed ahead and looked around the corners before giving Alya a nod. It was only then that Marinette remembered that Nino and his groomsmen were getting ready at the venue itself, and were already around somewhere. With a lot of effort from the twins, and one instance of having to bundle themselves into a random side room to avoid being seen by Max and Kim (two of Nino’s chosen groomsmen, the others being Adrien and his brother Chris) where they encountered some very confused employees of the venue, who were then happy to guide them a safe route to the bridal party suite.

Once there Alya dropped herself ungracefully into a large armchair (which had her mom tutting about her dress) and gave a thankful laugh when Nino’s mom offered her a second glass of champagne, laughing about the whole scenario. Marinette and her sisters laughed too. Who knew it would be so much hard work to hide a bride from the groom?

For half an hour the ladies stayed in the bridal suite, drinking their champagne and able to see out of the windows as guests began arriving, discussing random aspects of the wedding, and making Alya choke on her champagne when one of the mother’s mentioned ‘grandbabies’. The twins kept pointing out random cousins who had arrived, or random ‘hot’ guests they noticed and asking Alya if they were single.

“Hey Al, didn’t you say Nino’s best man is that Agreste kid you went to school with, the hot one?” Eta asked suddenly, after discussing with Ella who had just asked Marinette who Luka was after spotting him arriving with Juleka and Rose.

“Agreste?” Alya’s mom said the name with distaste, clearly recognising it, and giving her daughter a sideways look.

“As in Adrien, yes, and stop with that look. He’s nothing like his father” Alya said firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument, before turning to her sister “and yeah, he’s the best man, but I wouldn’t go barking up that tree. He’s only got eyes for Marinette.”

Eta shared a sigh with her sister and the pair turned back to the windows “is there anyone worth a bit of fun at this wedding?”

“The last thing you two need is 'a bit of fun’” Nora said sternly, giving the twins a small swat to the back of both their heads, before turning to Alya and promising “don’t worry, I’ll make sure these two behave."

“It’s fine Nora, just have fun,” Alya told her sister, rolling her eyes at the twin's antics and knowing they were more talk than action. They liked to flirt, man or woman didn’t seem to matter at all, but she knew her little sisters and had seen first-hand how flustered they became if anyone ever reciprocated their flirtations, and how they suddenly became instant sufferers of foot-in-mouth syndrome whenever it happened.

A knock at the door sounded, and Marinette being the closest to the door answered it with a curious raise of her eyebrow, surprised to find a dashing looking Max in a black suit wearing one of the tie’s she had made for the groomsmen to match the bridesmaids dress, and holding a hand over his eyes so he couldn’t see her.

“Nino said Alya wants it to be a surprise when we finally see you” he explained first, able to read Marinette’s mind without needing to see her expression “he also sent me to let you know that everyone’s arrived, we’re ready to start whenever you are.”

“You hear that Alya?” Mari called back over her shoulder.

“Hell yes, what are we waiting for? Let’s get this show on the road! Max, tell Nino and the other’s we’ll be two minutes.”

“Will do Alya, we’ll meet you outside of the hall” Max called back, spinning on his heel and walking away quickly. They waiting five minutes by Nora’s count after Max had disappeared before they followed after him, the mom’s disappearing to join the rest of the wedding party in the hall. Despite her grin (she couldn’t help it, Alya was smiling so hard it seemed to be infectious) Mari was beginning to feel the first fluttering of nervous butterflies in the pit of her stomach. She wasn’t a hundred per cent why, but she had a feeling it either had something to do with seeing Adrien or the number of eyes that would be watching when they all walked down the aisle. Thinking about both made the butterflies worse.

They reached the hall in what felt like a matter of seconds, though it was likely a few minutes of walking, and could hear the deep tones of Kim, Max, Chris and Adrien as they talked quietly amongst themselves waiting for their respective bridesmaid to arrive. When they became aware of the girls approaching they heard Kim loudly shushing the other three.

Marinette had to admit, Alya got the effect she’d wanted. Marinette, Nora, Ella and Eta entered first, while Alya made the final grand appearance, and they watched as the boy’s eyebrows raised, grin’s spreading on their faces. Marinette sought out Adrien’s gaze out of habit by now, finding him already focused on her, his expression almost unreadable if you didn’t know him as well as she did, because it wasn’t an expression she often saw on Adrien’s face. It was a Chat expression, the narrowing of his eyes and the slight smirk lifting his lip on one side. She couldn’t quite tell what he was thinking, but that was an expression that told her to expect mischief from a certain kitty…

While the others were distracted, Alya trying to sort out which groomsman would walk which of her sister’s down the aisle, Marinette sidled up to Adrien and muttered: “I know that expression, what are you thinking?”

“Nothing I can tell you in good conscience” he replied smoothly, leaning close enough for her to smell his aftershave, their chests almost touching “you look fantastic by the way, I knew it would be worth the wait – all the dresses, they’re amazing. You’re amazing. Beautiful.”

“Flatterer” Marinette grinned up at him, and hoped the blush she felt burning her cheeks wasn’t too visible through her makeup “besides, your just glad I agreed to come work for you, so you can take advantage of my talents.”

“Hmm, that _is_ a benefit” he pretended to say thoughtfully, rubbing his chin, until Mari elbowed him gently in the ribs and he broke into a grin.

“How’s Nino, is he nervous?” Mari asked, trying to peer through the crack in the door to the hall to spy Nino standing at the other end of the aisle. She could see him, but he was facing away from her.

“Giddy is a better word” Adrien replied, peering through the door over her, almost resting his chin on her head. He’d moved closer. Marinette could feel the warmth of his chest against her back, and one of his hands was trailing down the top of her arm softly to gently grip her elbow and pull her away ever so slightly when someone in the back rows turned to look at the doors. “He hasn’t stopped talking all morning, literally, I’m surprised he could breathe still. Poor Plagg actually decided to sit in the bathroom while I showered because Nino was just talking and talking.”

“Poor Plagg” Mari stifled a giggle by biting her finger lightly, turning back towards the rest of the wedding party. Alya, it seemed, had finished pairing everyone up – Nora with Kim was a good look, and Eta with Max, leaving Ella with Nino’s brother, Chris.

“-and of course, the maid of honour and the best man,” the bride said, waving a hand towards them with an approving nod.

“I think we’re ready to start sweetheart,” Alya’s dad said, giving them party a once over, and his daughter a much more wet-eyed look than he normally had. “If you’re ready that is?”

Alya paused for a moment, fiddling with the turtle and fox charms on her bouquet, before looking up at them. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more ready for anything in my life.”

Alya’s dad gave a signal, and music started on the other side of the hallway door. Seconds later the doors were pulled open, and they were exposed to the crowded hall.

For a second Marinette froze. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so many eyes on her, not in her civilian form anyway, perhaps graduation? It was only when Adrien nudged her slightly, offering his elbow, that she remembered they were supposed to walk first. Giving him a bashful smile, that he returned, she took his offered elbow and they began to walk.

A million thoughts ran through their heads. Marinette tried hard not to wonder if the next time she walked down an aisle, would it be at her own wedding. Would Adrien be there? Perhaps as a far more active participant than just a groomsman? She squashed those thoughts. It was silly. They weren’t even dating! She had to get a better grip of those thoughts before they got her into trouble.

Little did she know, Adrien was thinking something similar. Aside from family members when he was much younger, this was the first wedding he’d ever participated in. As an adult he hadn’t given it much thought, he’d assumed the next time he was in a wedding (if he was at all) it would be his own. That he’d be the one standing at the alter watching just like Nino was now. He wondered how he’d feel, to see his bride walking towards him… would she wear a white dress? Would she wear her dark hair down or up? Would she frame her blue eyes in dark makeup, or leave them bare? Not that any of that mattered, he bet Mari would look beautiful with- _Woah_. _Why_ was he thinking of Marinette as a bride? As _his_ bride? He had to resist shaking his head to banish that thought, glancing down he happened to catch her eye, and he knew his entire face was burning with mortification at the thoughts she couldn’t possibly know he was having.

Thankfully, before he could self-combust from the embarrassment, they had reached the altar, parting ways to stand by the groom and bride respectively. Kim and Nora weren’t far behind them, nor where Max and Eta, followed by Chris and Ella. As the final groomsman and bridesmaid took their place, the music changed slightly, and everyone’s attention fell on Alya as she finally passed through the doors, holding her father’s elbow, and the bouquet in front of her, grinning from ear to ear as she winked and Nino at the altar.

Nino caught the wink, grinning with teary eyes, he put his fingers to his mouth and wolf-whistled his bride as she walked down towards him, sending a quiet ripple of laughter through the crowd of family and friends.

When Alya finally got to the altar, kissing her father’s cheek before he went take a seat in the front row, their wedding officiant took a few minutes to say a few words, talking about the meaning of marriage and love, before the couple could exchange their vows.

Nino went first, taking the ring Adrien handed him, and holding it in front of Alya. “Alya Cesaire, you are the love of my life. I know it didn’t start out that way, and honestly, I’m glad of it. I’m glad I knew you as a quirky girl who sat behind me in class, I’m glad you were my friend. I feel like the day we were locked in that zoo cage together, it was fate _outfoxing_ me. You are a shining light, and I was blinded, bringing me out of my shell to see the amazing person you are. I want to continue being dazzled by you, for the rest of our lives.”

Alya turned to get her ring for Nino from Marinette, catching her maid of honour's eye and muttering “Adrien is banned from helping to write vows forever, how the hell did they sneak a pun in?”

Marinette looked past Alya for a second, catching Adrien’s eye, he must have guessed what Alya was muttering about because he threw her a cheeky wink, rocking on his heels proudly. She looked back at Alya and shrugged, pressing the ring into Alya’s hand “ _cats_ got my tongue. Don’t let them _bug_ you.”

Alya blinked, closing her hand around the ring and had to purse her lips to prevent herself from bursting into laughter in the middle of her own wedding. “I hate you all” she muttered, then added in a mutter only Mari and Nino were close enough to hear “for _fox-sakes_ guys, puns at a wedding?”

A small snickered, and they knew Adrien’s sensitive hearing had picked up the joke too.

“Nino” Alya spoke loudly this time, putting an end to their inside jokes as she began her vows “Nino… I wrote so many things to say to you, and none of them seemed right, which is ironic since writing is what I do best. I just can’t seem to be able to put into words how much I care for you, how much I rely on you. You’re my rock, my hero, my protector, my biggest fan, and my best friend all rolled into one amazing bundle topped off with a DJ cap. I love you. I love everything about you. I love how passionate you get about music, talking to me for literal hours when I have not got a clue what you’re talking about. I even love you when you’re picking sock fluff from between your toes on our bed – which is gross. In sickness, I health, in a party, and even when you're being totally gross with your sock fluff, I’m yours. Forever and always.”

Marinette seemed to be torn between laughing and crying, but then so did a few others in the room when she looked around, not one person seemed to have a dry eye, as well as a grin. As the officiant finally declared them man and wife, she found her eyes drawn up, feeling she was being watched, not at all shocked this time when she met green across the alter. Adrien’s eyes looked watery too, though he hadn’t shed a tear, and he was grinning as he and the rest of the groomsmen began clapping, which made the entire hall erupt into clapping as Nino grabbed his bride, dipping her low and kissing her soundly on the lips. Alya didn’t seem to mind this at all, her hand going straight to the back of Nino’s head as she held him in the passionate embrace. The kiss seemed to go on until the couple remembered they needed oxygen to breathe, righting themselves, they turned back to their crowd and Nino yelled: “now who’s ready for the party?”

*****

The wedding reception took place at the same venue as the ceremony, but in a much bigger hall that was decked out with lots of round tables spaced around a considerably sized dance floor that would no doubt be put to good use later on after the drinks had flowed more freely. Alya told Marinette that they’d gotten a much better price deal from the venue to hold the entire wedding there, as well as it being more convenient, especially considering the snow that had begun to fall when they had arrived had yet to stop.

The tables were set up for dinner with little place cards for each person to know their designated seat, and Marinette was not at all surprised to find her place card was oh-so-conveniently besides Adrien. Not that she minded, but she noticed a little smirk on Alya and Nino’s faces when they watched them find their seats.

Before their meal was served, Alya’s parents made a speech, telling stories about how Alya once had a pretend wedding dressed as wonder woman when she was a small child, and how they knew Nino was going to marry their daughter after they first met him, how they had watched them grow and support one another over the years, and wishing them many happy years together. Nino’s parents made a similar speech – except they didn’t have a story about him dressing up as a superhero for a pretend wedding, but they did have plenty of embarrassing stories about him – such as how he’d changed his home computers screensaver into multiple photos of Alya after barely a week of dating – and how despite his efforts, Alya always seemed to out-prank him, with Chris chiming in how he’d been hanging out with his brother last month when they’d both found out Alya had changed her designated ringtone in Nino’s phone to ‘what does the fox say’. His family had laughed because they thought it was an annoying song, but Marinette, Nino, Adrien and Alya caught one another’s eyes across the table and laughed for another reason.

After the parent’s speeches, food was served, and despite it being pretty good Marinette felt her appetite begin to wane as nervous butterflies began to flutter in her stomach. She and Adrien were supposed to give their speech before the happy couple went off to cut the cake, right after the meal, and even though they had agreed to let them do a joint speech (with making the dresses, patrol, and everything else going on Mari had simply not had time to even think about writing her own speech) she still felt nervous. She’d even rehearsed it with Adrien more than a dozen times, he must have had the patience of a saint to put up with her worrying about it, she thought.

He must have known she was worrying again, picking at her food rather than eating it, because he nudged her slightly with his elbow, giving her a slight frown when she looked at him, asking with only his expression if she was okay. She gave him a half-smile, before she was distracted by Alya’s mom asking her a question about her online store, but it didn’t soothe her nerves even as she helped herself to a hearty sip of her third glass of champagne that day while Alya’s mom was talking. Maybe that’s why she didn’t outwardly react when she felt Adrien’s hand settle on her leg under the table. Or at least she hoped it was Adrien’s hand, that or some weirdo was under the table. No, she was sure it was Adrien, though he looked to be in deep conversation with Kim about something when she glanced at him and wasn’t paying her any attention. And it wasn’t like the touch was anything but innocent, she thought, trying to pay attention to what Alya’s mom was saying as her thoughts wandered. He was holding her knee lightly, it was a comforting touch, nothing else. Right? She didn’t get much more time to wonder about it before it was their turn to do their speech.

Over the last few weeks, they’d gone back and forth of what kind of speech they should give. Adrien, of course, thought it should be funny, which Marinette wasn’t totally against, but she thought it should be heartfelt as well. What they got was a good mixture of both, at least in their opinions, but only when giving the speech would they really know.

Marinette was still nervous when they started, stuttering over her words and her hands apparently having minds of their own as they flapped, but her attitude fast changed after they introduced themselves to the crowd as the Maid of Honour and Best man. When Adrien gave his full name to the crowd, a hushed murmur seemed to sweep through the hall, not quite enough to be very noticeable, unless you had cat-like hearing of course. Adrien could hear every ill-disguised whisper of his name, laced with scorn, every muttered memory of what his father had done to the city, to people in this very room. He kept his head up, continued what he was saying about Nino being his first new friend in school, trying not to give any indication he’d heard anything out of the ordinary, but trying to ignore the looks he was now getting from the wedding guests who didn’t know him was difficult. He may be used to the mutters, used to the glares, but he didn’t want to ruin his best friend’s wedding…

Alya and Nino must have noticed the reaction as well, he could see them muttering with their heads together, a shadow on their faces. They were probably realising what a bad idea this had been, he thought. Alya’s mom was shaking her head and pouring herself more champagne.

He finished what he was saying, and was half tempted to re-take his seat to stop bringing the attention to himself, when he felt a light pressure on his arm. Marinette was leaning into him, not enough to be noticed, but enough for him to feel, and when he glanced down he realised she no longer appeared nervous. No, not nervous. She was pissed. Maybe she couldn’t hear everything that was being said, but apparently, she’d heard enough, and was standing there in a pose he’d more often seen on Ladybug. She had her arms folded over her chest, levelling a steady glare across the room, but she said nothing. She didn’t need to. It wasn’t long before people seemed to realise they were still standing, but no one was talking, and quiet descending over the hall again.

Biting her tongue against what she wanted to say, Marinette carried on giving their speech as though the brief interruption had never happened. This time though her voice never wavered, she never stuttered, and her arms stayed still. She never stopped leaning on Adrien though. She wasn’t sure but she felt as though he needed the touch, the longer she stayed there the less stiff he felt beside her. They finally finished their speech by telling Nino and Alya that they both hoped one day to be as happy as they were together, and how much they loved them.

To which Alix, two tables away, decided to yell “Now kiss!” for old time’s sakes, making the crowd ripple with nervous laughter.

“Oh for the love of –“ Nino said standing up, walking around his parents at the table, and grabbing Adrien by the neck as he pressed a brief kiss to the surprise blonde’s lips. Letting Adrien stumble backwards half a second later, the groom turned to Alix, throwing up his arms and asking “-are you happy now?”

“Yes!” was the shout he got in return – not only from Alix, who looked to be near tears with her laughter, but from a smirking Alya as well. Adrien just frowned, confused, until he looked and found Mari beside him with pursed lips as she tried to hold back her laughter.

“I have to say, bro, Alya’s the better kisser,” Nino told Adrien, elbowing him lightly in the ribs.

“Sorry to disappoint” Adrien replied, recovering from his confusion, “good think the only one you get to kiss from now on is Alya. I’m _turtle-y_ offended though.”

Nino snickered at the pun, while Marinette groaned, and Alya – who they weren’t sure heard the pun or not – stood and demanded cake and dancing. The cake was cut and, after having the first dance with his bride, Nino jumped on the readily set up DJ stand ready to cut the beats for his totally awesome wedding – in his own words.

The lights in the hall dimmed as the night passed on, leaving nothing but warm glow lamps and a funky disco ball to light the dark, yet Mari didn’t seem able to escape the number of people asking her to dance even when she in the back of the room. She’d danced with Alya, of course, because id Nino could kiss his best man then Alya could have a dance with her Maid of Honour. That had meant dancing with the rest of the girls too, as their friend group reunited on the dance floor, then there had been Kim, Chris, and Luka… and Mari’s feet were beginning to hurt.

She’d found her parents sitting at one of the tables lining the edge of the dance floor, and begged them to pretended to be in deep conversation with her to ward off any potential dance partners while she rested. They found it very amusing, but were happy to help her.

While her parents were talking Mari managed to sneak a strawberry macaron off the dessert plate into her purse for Tikki. Her Kwami didn’t say anything, but winked and gave her a tiny thumbs up in thanks, while Mari used her finger to pet her little head – her mind wandering. She wondered where Adrien had disappeared to after the dancing started. She knew he was with her when the cake was cut, and while they watched Nino and Alya have their first dance, but she’d lost track of him after Alya and pulled her on the dancefloor. She looked around the room, her stomach dropping when she wondered if he’d found someone else to dance with, and immediately admonished herself for the reaction. Adrien was allowed to dance with whoever he wanted, and she could talk. She’d danced with others today, and it wasn’t like she owned Adrien… it wasn’t like she was anything to Adrien either. They were friends and partners and that was all.

“Oh, Adrien, how lovely to see you again” Sabine’s voice seemed to cut through the upbeat music, and Mari found herself looking around so fast she was sure she heard something crack. Sure enough, as if summoned by her thoughts, Adrien appeared to have been caught by her mother as he was passing by the table. He looked relieved to see it was only the Dupain-Chengs, looking over his shoulder slightly before replying.

“Mis-“he started, and with a look from Marinette’s father that suddenly reminded him of weredad, amended himself promptly “-ah, I mean Sabine, Tom, nice to see you again.” He was aware Marinette was there, currently snickering at him behind her hand after seeing his stricken look when her father glared at him, but as he saw her so often he didn’t feel like she belonged in that greeting.

“How have you been son?” Tom asked, throwing one huge hand towards the empty chair besides Marinette, inviting him to sit down.

“I’m good, how are you, sir?” Adrien took their offered seat, but Marinette noticed the way he was trying to lean back, as if desperate to get out of the light, and gave him a confused look.

“Good, good. Can’t complain when you’re living your perfect life” Tom guffawed, giving Sabine a sweet look “we hear a lot about you from Marinette, since your working together and all, but we never see you. You should stop by the bakery sometime, you look like you could use a few pastries in you.”

“Oh, believe me, he gets enough” Marinette mumbled, rolling her eyes “he eats more than half the ones I take home with me when I visit, I swear, I don’t know where he puts it all!”

“Hollow legs, I told you” Adrien snickered, patting his tights for emphasis.

“Oh, does he now?” Sabine smirked, giving her daughter a knowing look that made Mari blush and looked away. Before she could defend herself, however, her mother continued “and your much like that yourself anyway Marinette, gosh, I can’t count the number of leftovers we get these days now that you’re not there to help us eat them all. It’s no wonder you were so hyper as a child, all those cookies!”

If it was possible, Marinette felt her blush deepen, especially when her father and Adrien started laughing. Truthfully Tikki was the one who ate most of the cookies, but she couldn’t lie and blame all of it on the kwami, though she did have half a mind to point out a good portion of the treats she’d taken from the leftovers in the bakery had gone to a no-good black cat sneaking onto her balcony at night.

“Oh, honey, listen-“Tom suddenly, as a slower song than the last began to play suddenly. After a few bars, both Sabine and Marinette understood why.

Sabine gave Tom a gentle smile “it’s our song. Oh, can we dance?”

“Of course” Tom agreed immediately, standing from the table and offering her a hand.

“Have fun kids” Sabine bid them as her parents left the table.

“So where have you been for the last hour and a half?” Marinette asked immediately, sipping her new drink through a straw. She wasn’t quite sure what the drink was, a daiquiri of some kind, she’d met Rose at the bar and the quiet girl had recommended it.

Adrien looked around grinning, then turned so his full attention was focused on her “why, miss me?”

“Curiosity” she fired back.

“I heard that killed the cat.”

“I’m no cat” she snickered, seeing his faux-wounded look “but seriously, you disappeared?”

“I didn’t ‘disappear’, not really” Adrien shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck “honestly, Alya’s little sister keeps asking me to dance so I kind of… sat in a corner and hid.”

“What?” Marinette was shocked. She was sure she’d looked everywhere… and she’d hidden in a few of those corners herself! “How come if you hide in a corner no one spots you, but if I hide in a corner it’s like a beacon for people to bother me?”

“Easy,” he whispered, leaning closer “you’re prettier than me.”

“Doubtful, Mr Ex-Model” she snorted, poking him backwards by his nose. Adrien laughed and let her do it, falling back into his seat.

“You didn’t look like you missed me anyway,” he told her, trying to keep his tone light and failing when a slight edge of bitterness laced the words. Clearing his throat, he tried again “I mean, with all the dancing that is. You danced a lot.”

“Watching me from a dark corner eh?” Mari sipped her drink, raising an eyebrow “not stalkerish at all.”

“Cats like to stalk” he tried to point out in his defence, though he knew it didn’t really help him much. She giggled at him, and he frowned at her as he took a sip of the beer he’d brought to the table with him.

“So what made you leave your dark little corner kitty?” she asked eventually.

“I thought I saw a bored little bug, and wondered if I could entertain her, but if she’d rather I go back to my dark little corner…”

“Well, that depends…”

“On?”

“If you go back to your dark little corner, you have to take me with you, that’s what partners do.”

Adrien snapped his head around to look at her but she was too busy trying to fish the floating strawberry out of her glass with the paper straw, oblivious to the way his heart was pounding. Normally he would ignore the tension there, maybe make a joke, but Nino and Alya’s words were echoing in his mind and perhaps he was feeling braver now that he had a few drinks in him but… he saw a chance, and decided to take it.

Moving closer to Marinette he asked quietly “oh, and exactly what would we be doing in a dark little corner?”

Marinette was still oblivious, still trying to pierce the strawberry with the end of her straw, she’d mostly finished her drink now and it tasted more of water from the melting ice cubes than anything else, but she wanted the strawberry. She was only half aware of what Adrien was saying, and replied: “I’m sure you could find a way to entertain us.”

Adrien wasn’t sure what to do. Her replied encouraged him but… he didn’t think she was actually aware of what she was saying. Or if she was, then she was a hell of a lot more confident than he felt.

He didn’t get a chance to find out.

“Hello, Marinette, Adrien” Luka’s smooth voice interrupted, appearing as if from nowhere on the other side of Marinette’s chair. He didn’t wait for them to greet him back, or invite him to sit, before he asked “I was wondering if you would like to dance again Marinette? You look a bit bored.”

“I’m not bored, I’m fine” Marinette frowned, her voice rising a bit at the insinuation “and I’m sorry Luka, but I promised my next dance to Adrien. He was just being polite and waiting because my feet hurt, but I’m better now. C’mon!”

Adrien didn’t get a chance to protest – even if he’d wanted to – before she’d grabbed him by the wrists and pulled him up onto the dance floor. Nino’s brother Chris has taken over the DJ stand it seemed, so Nino could enjoy the slow song with Alya, and they bumped the newlyweds slightly in their haste to join the dance. Once they were deep in the throng of other couples dancing Marinette stopped dragging Adrien, turning and placing her hands on his shoulders.

“Sorry, you don’t actually have to dance with me, I just didn’t want to dance with Luka again… it might set off a chain reaction and everyone starts asking again, and my feet really do hurt!” she told him.

Adrien stared at her “do _you_ want to dance with me?”

“Umm…” she blushed. It wasn’t the response she’d expected, and hand no answer lined up straight away.

“Good enough” Adrien decided after a second, setting his hands on her waist and snickering a little when she squeaked as he pulled her more firmly against him, her hands wrapping around his neck as if on reflex.

“You don’t have to…”

“I want to” he murmured his response, just above her ear, and just knew she was blushing harder than ever when she ducked her head slightly against his chest to hide her face.

They swayed together to the music. Adrien set a gentle pace for them, perhaps even slower than the music called for, but he didn’t care. Marinette said her feet hurt, he didn’t want to cause her any more pain, but he didn’t want this moment to end either. In his opinion, she fit against him perfectly. She was short, even in her heels, her head barely taller than his shoulder, but that made her the perfect height for him to rest his chin against her head. This close, he swore he could feel both their hearts beating in sync.

Marinette’s feet were screaming at her, but she didn’t care. Adrien was warm, and firm, and she was trying to resist the urge to just snuggle against him. It was hard, especially when he dipped his head a bit to rest against hers, and she could feel every puff of his warm breath against her ear. She wondered if his heart was racing as much as hers was…

The song ended sooner than either of them wanted, turning into something far more fast-paced than Marinette felt she could handle yet, and reluctantly they stepped apart and off the dance floor – but Adrien made sure to catch her hand and entwined her fingers in his. She raised an eyebrow at this, especially when he lifted their combined hands and pressed a kiss to the back of hers.

“Can I get you another drink my lady?” he asked quietly, ignoring her raised eyebrows.

Surprised, but deciding not to say anything about his surprising display of affection, Marinette smiled “I wouldn’t say no to another drink Chaton, lead the way.”

Together they spent the next few hours mingling with their friends, playing a few of the wedding games they had helped arrange, drinking, and (whenever Marinette felt her feet could handle it, or at one point when she just took her shoes off altogether) dancing. They only thought about leaving after they had stood outside cheering as the bride and groom left their wedding together in a sleek black car where Nathaniel had painted ‘Just Married’ in graffiti fashion on the rear window.

Some people filtered back inside the venue, intent on not letting the night be wasted (Kim and Alix were the leaders of this group it appeared) but a few people were bidding their goodbyes. Marinette had already called a cab, though her parents had offered to let her share theirs, they looked exhausted and she knew they’d been up earlier putting the last touches to the wedding cake and didn’t want to inconvenience them so she declined.

The snow had stopped, but it had left a crisp white layer across every surface, and she had to brush some off a small stone wall so she could perch there while waiting for her ride. She was not at all surprised when a moment later she suddenly felt warmth at her back.

“Home?” Adrien said, leaning against the wall and resting his hands against it, half-caging her underneath him as he rested his chin on her shoulder from behind. Marinette had discovered in the last few hours that the more Adrien seemed to drink, the more touchy-feely he had become.

“Yeah, I’m exhausted, and I don’t think my feet will forgive me for a few days” Mari sighed, wiggling her feet – now caged up again in the pretty torture devices disguised as silver heel shoes – and leaning back into his slightly for the warmth. Sure the alcohol coursing through her made her feel warmer than she knew it actually was, but it was cold enough for her breath to hang in fogs, and no amount of alcohol was going to fool her into thinking she was warm when that was happening.

“Am I coming?” he asked, tilting his head slightly so he could see her face.

“Pardon?”

“I suppose I could always just show up on your doorstep in leather but I think your neighbours might have a few words, wonder what they’d be more concerned about though, the man in leather or that it’s Chat Noir knocking on your door in the early hours…” he trailed off, as though he was actually thinking about it. She wondered how difficult that was for him, considering he seemed to have lost the filter between his brain and mouth in the last hour or so.

Marinette let out a half-laugh, she wasn’t sure what he’d meant at first but now she understood “oh, back to stalking me home now Alya’s not staying with me anymore are you?”

“Mmm, you say that as though I was ever deterred” he mumbled.

“What?”

“I still checked on you… even when Alya was around…”

“Why?”

“I was worried.”

She wanted to talk more, but the cab arrived at that moment and pulled up right in front of her.

“Am I coming?” Adrien repeated his question again, raising an eyebrow “because… pretty sure I could get there faster with my shortcut.”

“For the love of god, _cheese_ , or whatever you hold dear let him in the cab” Plagg peeked out of Adrien’s suit pocket, looking fed-up “there wasn’t nearly enough cheese at that so-called party, and with how he’s been drinking… and snow! He’s more likely to _fall off_ a damn roof than get anywhere!”

“Don’t exaggerate Plagg” Adrien tutted.

“I don’t think he’s exaggerating” Mari giggled, watching the way the two glared at one another “come on then, get in the cab, Adrien.”

“As my lady wishes,” he did a mock bow, holding open the door for her to slide in. Marinette laughed.

The ride back to Marinette’s apartment was surprisingly swift, but the cab driver was chatty and told them he’d had a relatively good night for traffic as most people seemed to be staying inside rather than out on the roads. He asked about where they’d been and they told him about the wedding, making amicable small talk until they arrived at the apartment where Adrien insisted on paying rather than Marinette.

Once they were alone again, Marinette asked her burning question, unlocking the door of the building as she did so.

“So why did you stalk me while Alya was here? I thought you were supposed to be babysitting Nino.”

“Nino naps a lot,” Adrien told her “which I thought as a cat thing, but no, apparently a turtle thing. Or a Nino thing. Anyway, I was… worried. Like I said.”

“I get that… but there wasn’t any reason to be” she muttered as they walked up the stairs to her apartment, keeping her voice low in case anyone was around to overhear them “I mean, I know Alya’s… one of us, but we didn’t know that. She could’ve seen you.”

“She didn’t.”

“Or she just didn’t acknowledge it because she’s one of us. Just be a bit more careful. And I know I’ve gotten hurt, but I am capable of taking care of myself you know. You don’t need to worry so much.”

They had reached her front door now, and Adrien leaned against the wall beside the door as she unlocked it, keeping his expression perfectly blank. “I’m sure you are, I still worry.”

He didn’t sound at all sincere when he said he was sure, which made Marinette give him a look as he passed by her and into the open apartment. Plagg immediately flew from his jacket, and she made sure the open her purse so Tikki could join him, the kwami’s floating around each other and chatting about how amazing (Tikki’s opinion) and awful (Plagg’s opinion) the wedding had been, ignoring their chosen as they phased into the kitchen.

“Damn right I could. I could kick your ass right now, in this dress and these torture-shoes, no transformation.”

Adrien wasn’t quite sure what to think here. Mari was five foot three, wearing form-fitting dress and heels he knew where causing her pain, with her hands on her hips as she glared at him. Part of him believed her, part of him didn’t, and there was another part of him having a whole different reaction that he wasn’t sure he wanted to dissect. Surely it wasn’t normal to want to grab and kiss the woman claiming she could kick your ass, was it?

“Sure you could” he chose to say, it seemed like the right response, though another part of him said there was no right response here and anything he said would be wrong.

Whatever part of him it was that said he’d be wrong no matter what must have been the smart part, probably getting drowned out by the brain cells that were getting drunk on everything he’d drank at the wedding. He had only a second to notice the way Marinette’s eye had narrowed before dodging the well-aimed fist she’d thrown.

Standing frozen for a second he stared at her fist, suspended in mid-air as she kept her fighting stance, before glancing at her face and seeing the challenge there as she watched him. He’d recognise it anywhere. After all… the free nights on the rooftops when they’d practised sparring where some of his fondest memories. The only difference here was there was no mask or hide their faces, but he’d be damned if he’d never have been able to place that determined expression on Marinette’s face right now with the one he’d seen on Ladybug a thousand times before.

Meeting her challenge with a grin, Adrien stepped back to dodge her next attack, and ducked to avoid the one after that. For the next few minutes they said nothing, and the only sound in the apartment was the occasional grunt or puff of breath as Marinette kept trying to attack him, and Adrien kept dodging. He knew the alcohol she’d drunk was affecting her as much as it as him, she was slower than usual, and a bit wobbly on her feet, which helped him dodge her. A trick he’d learned early on in their sparring sessions was that he could get an advantage over Ladybug if he could dodge her until she was tired. It didn’t always work, but Marinette was already tired when she’d started this fight, and he knew it would take longer.

Sure enough, after a few moments (and a few attacks that nearly got him) Adrien saw his opening when they heard a cupboard slam in the kitchen as the kwami’s raided the cupboard, and she half-turned towards the noise. Adrien rushed her while she wasn’t looking, crashing into her with his body and forcing her backwards a few steps into the wall behind, bringing a hand up to cushion her head against the wall, but quickly removing it so he could grab bother her wrists and pin her against the wall as he felt her start to fight back.

Oh, she struggled. He wasn’t surprised, neither Marinette nor Ladybug where ever women he’d thought would go down without a fight, knowing they were one and the same he wasn’t surprised as she fought. After a few moments, she seemed to realise she couldn’t budge him. She couldn’t wriggle her wrists free, and when she’d thought about bringing her legs up to kick against his stomach and push him away he’d seemed to predict him, moving in closer to trap her legs with him. She stood, pressed against the wall by Adrien, staring up at him through the strands of her hair that had gotten free during their tussle, her chest heaving as she panted for breath after the exertion of trying to move him off her.

He seemed greatly amused by her efforts, smirking.

“Shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything,” he told her, grinning now.

“You realise I’ll have to get revenge the second you let go of me, right?”

“You can try. Or I could just not let you go.”

“You’re going to keep me pinned against this wall?”

It was like a bubble was burst, and Adrien seemed to recognise the exact position they were in. Looking down he couldn’t see – or feel – a part of himself that wasn’t pressed against Mari’s warm body, and immediately felt his face warm at the realisation. But if he moved he didn’t doubt her promise for revenge either. He glanced down again, wondering just how he could get out of this without embarrassing himself, only this time his brain wandered when he realised he could just glance down the top of her dress in this position, and oh god she didn’t have a bra on, he knew that just by looking at the dress, and now she was pressed against him, her chest heaving as she panted and pressing against his own-

“My eyes are up here” her amused voice cut across his thoughts and snapped his eyes back to hers. Before he could say anything she asked, her voice surprisingly smug “enjoying the view?”

Marinette wasn’t sure where this sudden burst of confidence had come from (she suspected a mixture of Alya’s earlier encouragement, and the drinks she’d had) but she enjoyed the look on his face as he tried to find a way to respond. She’d always wondered what it would feel like to be the one flustering him, rather than the other way around, and she was quite enjoying it.

Eventually, he managed to breathe out a simple, one-word answer. “Maybe.”

She’d take it. At least he hadn’t laughed and walked away, or been repulsed by her obvious flirtation. Feeling her confidence rise, even more, Marinette asked him “so, what are you going to do now?”

Adrien tried to think straight, he really did, but it wasn’t like something else had taken over his brain. He knew exactly what that ‘something else’ was, but that didn’t mean he had to name it of course. She was standing there, pressed against him, practically daring him…

Next thing he knew, his lips were pressed against her hungrily. He felt like his chest was exploding, fireworks going off behind his eyes as he kept them shut, dropping her wrists and dropping his hands to her waist, pulling her more firmly against him, if that was at all possible. He as dimly aware of her hands were around his neck as she kissed him back, pulling at the hair she found there, and his lungs were starting to burn for breath but he didn’t want to stop, his hands beginning to wander from her waist, one up to the small of her back, pulling her closer, one trailing softly over her waist and thigh…

He wasn’t sure how long they were like that, all he knew what when he realised his hand and managed to slip under the slit on the skirt of her dress, his hand touching the smooth flesh of her bare thigh, and she whimpered, the noise muffled, he felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his head.

He sprang backwards, panting, staring at her as she leaned back against the wall again, looking a bit dazed but pretty, her lips still red from their kiss and –

-oh god, what had he done? She was never going to forgive him after this, she was drunk, what was he doing? She wouldn’t want him, they there just friends, and he was her boss! His life was a mess, nothing he wanted to drag her into and… and…

He needed to go. He needed fresh air.

“-I, uh… I’m _sorry_ , I got to…” he stuttered, his words deciding to fail him, retreating backwards towards her door “I’m sorry I just _… Plagg_!” he yelled for the kwami, who must have sensed the panic in his voice for once, not arguing when he phased through the kitchen wall and followed Adrien as he escaped the apartment like it was on fire.

Marinette hadn’t moved from where she was leaning on the wall, her lips still tingling as she watched him, perplexed. It seemed to take a few minutes to sink in that he’d kissed her and run away, and yet while a small part of her stung from that whispering unkind things like ‘how could he do that?’ and ‘clearly he would hate her now’, she ignored them. Once upon a time, those voices might have gotten to her, but a bigger part of her wondered why he’d panicked. She’d kissed him back, hadn’t she? Wait, had she… it was all a bit of a blur. A good blur. A great blur. But yes… yes, to her memory she hadn’t kissed him back. Just as vigorously as he’d kissed her in fact!

“Are you alright Marinette?” Tikki asked gently. It had been a few minutes since Adrien had run out of the apartment, and Marinette still hadn’t moved. Tikki was getting worried.

“Umm… I _think_ so” Mari stood up straighter, touching her lips as she finally moved to shut the door behind Adrien and turned to her kwami “… just… _confused_.”

“All men are this confusing” Tikki told her a bit dryly.

Marinette stared at her, half wanting to ask about her experiences, but deciding in the end that she had too many of her own issues to deal with. As it was, she was far too tired for it, and though she half wondered if Adrien would try come back once he’d calmed down a bit, she also knew there was no way she was going to able to stay awake for it. She unlocked the window in her spare room, leaving It open slightly and deciding the draft was worth it if he wanted to come back, she got ready for bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, my cheeseballs my luck is not improving this year. I know I said in a comment I hoped to get this chapter out much quicker, and about half an hour later my laptop up and died. I took it to get fixed but turns out it died due to damp damage (I'll give you three guesses why I moved house recently) thankfully my workplace has a scheme for buying things like laptops, but waiting on the approval and delivery time... ack, I was nearly climbing walls. 
> 
> As such, this chapter is about 4 or 5 pages longer than the usual ones. Plus I wanted to give Alya and Nino the wedding those guys deserved. 
> 
> Also... 
> 
> you didn't think I'd let them get together that easily, right? These kids still got some things to sort out!


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

“What did I do!?” Adrien groaned into his pillow the second he woke up the next morning and remembered exactly why he was still half-dressed in his bed. Never mind his pounding head, or the funny taste in his mouth that came with drinking far too much at the wedding, the memory of Marinette standing against her wall, hair loosening, cheeks pink, lips red and swollen from being thoroughly kissed…

…by him…

“Argh!” he groaned into the pillow again.

“Oh, you’re finally awake then” Plagg phased into the room, drawn by the distressed noises his chosen was making, but not exactly in a hurry to offer comfort either.

“Plagg?” Adrien lifted his head from the pillow just slightly enough to peek at the kwami as he settled on the bedside table, leaning on the lamp and looking like he was enjoying this far too much. “What did I do?” he asked again in a small voice, though he didn’t really need reminding.

“Which stupid decision are you referring to?” Plagg tilted his head smugly “drinking too much alcohol or kissing your girlfriend and then running away?”

Adrien didn’t dignify that with an answer, choosing instead to let out a whimper and put his head back into the pillow. Plagg watched this pathetic sight for a few minutes, rolling his eyes at the needless drama of humans, and eventually decided to take pity on him.

“Well, and it goes against every fibre of my being to say this, you won't get anything done today if you don’t get out of bed,” the cat kwami said, floating off of the table and pushing the blinds on the bedroom window open. Midday sunlight poured into the room, directly onto the bed where Adrien had just looked up. His eyes stung and he hissed like he’d been burned, throwing himself backwards to get away from the bright light and falling off the side of the bed to the floor below, dragging the blanket with him.

“Oww…” he groaned.

“You deserved it.”

“I know… god, I was so stupid. Marinette probably hates me…”

“Really, you’re still thinking about your girlfriend? I meant how you forgot to feed me!”

Adrien sat up from the floor, still squinting against the sunlight, and did his best to glare at Plagg. “You can literally phase through the fridge to get your cheese!”

“That’s not the point” Plagg sniffed “its cold in there, do I make you eat your meals in the cold? No.”

“What about that time in Venice when you locked me on my own balcony for four hours?” Adrien threw back.

“Well, you deserved that too.”

Adrien didn’t reply to that, mostly because he couldn’t remember what Plagg’s reason was to lock him on that balcony and he doubted Plagg could either. Instead, he lifted himself off the floor with a groan, feeling achy and rough all over, and dragged himself through his apartment to the kitchen, where to his delight he found that Plagg had already set the coffee machine off. He knew he kept Plagg around for a reason.

When it was ready he helped himself to a fresh mug, set a fresh wedge of camembert on a plate for Plagg, and picked up his phone. He dread to look at it. He was sure he’d find a message of some sort from Marinette. Would she want to know why he’d kissed her, or would she just straight out reject him? Maybe if she didn’t immediately reject him he could pretend he’d only been prompted to act on his feelings because of alcohol and they could laugh the incident off as a poor drunk decision…

He took a look. He had a few text notifications, and with a sinking stomach, he opened them.

They were all from Nino. One was a thank you for the wedding, for being his best man and best friend. A few were from the airport where he and Alya had gone a few hours ago on the way to their honeymoon. One was from Alya, but from Nino’s phone, apologising for Nino’s serial texting and also thanking him for the wedding.

Marinette had not messaged him.

Was… was that good or worse than her immediately rejecting him?

Oh no, what if she wanted to do it in person?

What if – “stop thinking!” Plagg yelled suddenly, throwing a small hunk of cheese at Adrien’s face, where it bounced off his temple and tumbled off his shoulder and back onto the countertop where Plagg retrieved it.

“What?” Adrien looked at him with surprise.

“You heard me. Stop. Thinking.” The kwami floated in front of his face now, popping the last chunk of cheese in his mouth before folding his paws over his chest “you always do this, you overthink, for once try not thinking at all.”

“But- “

“Ah-ah” Plagg waved a paw at him threateningly “no. So what, you kissed a girl you like, ran away from her, and she hasn’t contacted you. Which now I say out loud sounds pretty bad, but don’t overthink it.”

“How am I not supposed to think about that?” he asked, “you just said yourself it’s pretty bad!”

“Yeah, pretty bad, probably not as over the top awful as your no doubt thinking kid” Plagg dragged a paw down his face, groaning “look – what’s the biggest issue your thinking about right now?”

Adrien paused. “What if she hates me?” he finally asked out loud.

“She doesn’t. Anything else?”

“You don’t know that Plagg.”

“Please, that girl loves you. Even I can see that, the only one too dumb to see it is you.”

Adrien stared speechlessly at Plagg.

Plagg threw his head back and groaned loudly “urgh, humans, how are you this oblivious to each other? It’s a wonder your species survive!”

Adrien scowled now, only a little offended on behalf of his species, and feeling as though his head was going to explode. Was Plagg right? Did Marinette feel the same for his as he did for her? He couldn’t see any reason why the kwami would lie to him, not when he had nothing to gain from it. His friends he could consider bias, they’d wanted them to get together for literal years, but for all Plagg’s constant teasing, he’d never been overly invested in Adrien’s love life before. More like he was content to ignore it as long as he was bribed with extra cheese to stay out of sight. He’d never offered him advice or help before, the fact he was now gave Adrien pause.

Yet, as hard as he tried to think, he knew he shouldn’t make any rash decisions. He’d give Marinette some space, as well as himself, and hopefully, if he approached the issue with a clear head then he wouldn’t make a complete mess of it.

Ignoring Plagg’s mutterings about how dumb humans where, Adrien took his coffee and decided to run a bath. Hopefully, he could soak away his hangover, or at the very least, mull over his next moves regarding Marinette. Whatever happened, he hoped he didn’t ruin the new friendship he had with her.

But mostly he hoped that Alya wasn’t going to kill him.

****

Adrien’s plan to give them both some space didn’t turn out so well. Barely twenty-four hours passed, just when he felt like he’d finally managed to shift the last of his hangover (why do the headaches always persist right to the last second?) when his phone pinged with an alert and he heard the sirens in the distance.

Of course. Of course, after so much quiet, Enenra would decide to attack again right now.

Was the universe laughing at him, because It felt like it did that a lot, holder of a black cat miraculous be damned.

Whatever his personal issues though, he’d never leave Ladybug to fight alone, especially with Rena Rogue and Carapace not in the city to help her.

When he arrived at the scene Ladybug was already in the thick of the fight, using her yoyo as a shield to deflect some debris from a bunch of civilian school children trying to escape. As Chat Noir he wasted no time finding himself a clear spot, far away from Ladybug and the civilians she was trying to protect, and drawing the Yokai’s attention to himself instead of them.

Despite being two members of their team down, the battle was over surprisingly quickly. They were forced to be light on their feet, never remaining in the same spot for too long, so plans where mostly yelled to one another in passing as they tried to keep out of reach, but they eventually managed to extract and purify the Yokai victim. Shortly after they were swarmed with reporters, demanding to know why Enenra had returned, why she’d been gone so long, why Ladybug hadn’t addressed this issue sooner, where were Carapace and Rena. Chat had to admit, Ladybug had far more patience with the accusations flying towards her than he did, his tail twitching with irritation every time they tried to make the situation sound like it was Ladybug’s fault, but she handled it well. She told them firmly that she was handling the situation as well as she could, but she and her fellow hero’s would continue to protect the city against anyone and everyone who threatened it. Of course, this didn’t really satisfy the reporters need for more juicy information, and Chat felt himself forced to intervene when two reporters, in particular, started to get a bit too pushy. Stepping between them and Ladybug he addressed the reporters with a swift and simple repeat of what Ladybug had said, bid them farewell, and indicated with a nod of his head towards Ladybug that they should leave.

They escaped over the rooftops where the reporters couldn’t follow them, running a few streets together before Ladybug stopped, catching her breath and checking a new cut to her arm that hadn’t been healed when she used the miraculous cure.

“You okay?” Chat asked, watching as she wiped away at the blood, staining her bright red suit with dark crimson.

“Mm?” She looked up at him, apparently dragged out of her own thoughts “oh, yeah it's just a cut. I’ve had worse, and it’s not deep, which is probably why Tikki didn’t heal it. Won't even scar.”

With her words, Chat was dragged back to a few nights ago when Rena had told him how Ladybug had been shot, and Tikki hadn’t been able to heal her when she’d used the miraculous cure to save a life instead. He had no doubt she knew what she was talking about when she said it wouldn’t scar. How many scars had she gotten when he was gone?

He looked away from her.

“Chat?” she frowned, concern lacing her voice when she noticed the way his expression had darkened as he looked away from her. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, fine” he answered her, not sounding fine at all “I just have a headache, again… and feel a bit sick. Hangover and all that…”

Ladybug nodded. She wasn’t exactly feeling one-hundred-per cent over her own hangover either, and the battle hadn’t really helped.

Still, she was a bit surprised when he looked over his shoulder and said “do you mind if I go? I… really don’t feel good.”

“Um, sure, I hope you feel better soon…” she tried to tell him, but he was gone before she finished, leaving her alone as a breeze blew the newly falling snowflakes towards her.

Sighing after him, Ladybug looked around the rooftop before swinging her yoyo and flying off towards the Eiffel tower on a small patrol. She’d noticed during the battle that Enenra was nowhere to be seen, which she found odd considering her appearances has been increasingly frequent before she’d tried attacking Ladybug herself, but then again if she was still hurt from Chat’s attack then maybe it wasn’t that odd at all. If Enenra was still hurt, it may actually help them finally catch her!

Though the creeping idea that Enenra hadn’t been at the scene because she was lurking somewhere nearby just waiting to catch her alone again did cross her mind, and she found herself extra vigilant on her journey towards the tower, not enjoying the freedom as much as she normally would have. By the time she got to the tower, snow was falling in thick fat flakes around her, and she knew she couldn’t stay out much longer before Tikki would force her to transform back. It was probably only because she could sense Marinette’s urge to have some time to think that she hadn’t forced the transformation already.

Marinette knew she’d have to give her extra cookies and a mug of cocoa when they got home.

Looking out over the city, she thought about the new attack. Clearly, Enenra hadn’t left the city, not that she’d truly believe the theory when Alya had said it, but she’d be lying if a tiny part of her hadn’t kind of hope it was true. She’d never got the impression Enenra would give up that easily though. There was a kind of… desperation to her anger that fuelled her fight, the kind where they knew she wasn’t going to stop unless she was stopped.

So how did they stop her?

Their best bet was probably trying to catch her now, while she was still hurt. Chances where she was still lingering somewhere nearby whenever one of her Yokai’s attacked, perhaps if they searched the area for her they’d find her? It wasn’t the best plan, especially while two of their four members were gone for a week, but it was all she could come up with right now.

Sighing, she wished Chat had come with her to the tower. He’d always been good for bouncing her plans off of.

Chat…

That was going to be another problem, wasn’t it?

She had to admit, when she had woken up the previous morning and he hadn’t made a reappearance, worry had begun to bubble in the pit of her stomach. But she decided to give him space, and Tikki was more than happy to help distract her. Besides, she’d needed to nurse her hangover before she could even think about talking to Adrien about their kiss.

She’d wondered if he regretted it, if he’d only done it because he was drunk. Did he remember her practically daring him to do it?

She felt as though he may have lied about having a headache and feeling sick earlier, which was an obvious sign that he didn’t want to talk about it. Not yet at least. Perhaps not talk to her at all. A fact that did absolutely nothing to soothe her worry, and she could feel herself getting nervous. What if this drunken mistake ruined their newly close friendship?

She half wanted to call Alya but didn’t want to spoil her honeymoon.

Sighing, closing her eyes as she felt the fat snowflakes land and melt on her cheeks, Ladybug stood ready to leave the tower, her thoughts just as jumbled as they had been when she arrived.

****

In the coming days, neither Adrien nor Marinette actually got a moment to talk about the elephant in the room. Enenra attacked twice more, totally three attacks in just four days, and both of them were getting fed up with it. They wondered if the frequency of the attacks was some kind of method to exhaust them, or did Enenra know that Carapace and Rena were out of town? Nino called Adrien after the third attack saying he and Alya were making plans to return from their honeymoon sooner, but Adrien convinced them not to. It was their honeymoon after all, and though it took a lot of convincing, eventually the couple agreed to stay away until their original return date.

Nino had joked over the phone that of course Adrien and Marinette could handle it, they where Chat Noir and Ladybug, what couldn’t they handle? Adrien had laughed nervously, half wanting to tell Nino about his stupid drunk decision to kiss Mari, but not wanting to add to the weight already on their minds from the attacks.

Not that the attacks where the only thing keeping them apart of course.

Adrien’s work was picking up, preparations for the spring line now demanding his attention more than ever before, not to mention he now had three freelance designers agreeing to sign up for the project he’d worked on with Marinette, meaning he had to oversee the purchase and restoration of three more properties. One of the designers was particularly demanding, and he found himself fending off emails every few hours and beginning to regret his decision not to meet them in person before he offered them the deal.

Marinette had a similar problem. Her parents had asked if she was able to help out at the bakery when one of their employees called in sick unexpectedly, and she felt like she’d been flooded with orders on her website since she’d opened it back up.

She desperately wanted to talk to Adrien, before the situation could get any more awkward than it already felt, but she never seemed to have the time. Plus the fact he didn’t seem to want to talk about it didn’t exactly encourage her going forward. The only time she managed to speak to him was during the attacks, and that barely counted as speaking in her mind since they were usually just yelling battle instructions to one another. The only time she’d heard from Adrien himself was a simple email confirming the decorators were starting work on her shop, and informing her three other designers had agreed to the deal. She’d not lie, when his name had appeared in her inbox Marinette’s heart and fluttered, but soon sank like a lead balloon when she realised it was only work-related. He didn’t want to talk about their kiss. If it wasn’t for the attacks and work, she wondered if she’d have seen or heard from him at all or would he have simply avoided her?

As the days passed she found herself going from disappointed to frustrated. If he thought kissing her was a mistake, that was fine, but that didn’t mean he had to avoid her. Whatever their feelings, they were friends, first and foremost. Tikki reminded her that whatever he was feeling, Adrien may want space, but the not knowing for sure was driving Marinette insane.

Which was exactly why she was currently crouched in the shadows beside a shed on a flat rooftop near her apartment, instead of nice and warm inside working on her increasingly large order list. She had a hunch… and if she was right, she would be waiting here much longer.

Sure enough, as twilight started to give over into true night, he appeared.

Chat’s boots where surprisingly quiet on the rooftop as he landed – as if from nowhere – on the rooftop a few meters away from her hiding place. She’s always wondered about that, considering the heavy impact she knew those steel-toed boots were capable of, they were impossibly quite. Just like how his bell sometimes rang, and sometimes didn’t. But now wasn’t the time to wonder about the impossibilities of Chat’s costume, no, she was after answer’s of another kind.

She slipped out of her hiding spot slowly, loosening her yoyo from her waist, and sneaking closer. His ear twitched, and he began to turn, but couldn’t quite react fast enough. Without hesitating, Ladybug threw her yoyo, and it wound around him tightly before he could move. Chat let out a startled yowl, his tail and ears going ramrod straight with the shock.

She almost laughed, but managed to contain the sound with a smirk instead, stepping completely out of the shadows so he could see her.

His ears and tail relaxed a bit when he realised it was only Ladybug, though she noticed the way his posture remained frozen as she approached, and when he spoke it sounded strained. “Oh, it’s just you Ladybug… for a second I thought it was someone else.”

“Oh, do you make a habit of getting lassoed on rooftops after dark?” she couldn’t help but ask him, arching an eyebrow.

“Um… well, no…” he frowned “but you could have been Enenra.”

She couldn’t argue that, nodding in agreement with him, asking “if you’re so afraid of Enenra catching up with you, why are you lurking on rooftops on your own after dark?”

He shrugged – or at least tried to, considering she still had him tied up “well, _I am_ Chat Noir.”

“Chat Noir makes habits of stalking rooftops around my apartment, doesn’t he?” she fixed him with a look.

“Uh…”

After waiting a moment to see if he would actually say anything, Ladybug sighed and tugged on her yoyo, the string seeming to follow her command as it unravelled and released him. Though it hadn’t hurt, nor even been tight enough to be even a little uncomfortable, Chat rubbed his now freed arms and watched as Ladybug sat heavily on the edge of the rooftop facing him, shaking her head slowly.

“I don’t want things to be weird between us Chat,” she told him bluntly, her voice suddenly tired as she ran a hand through her hair, looking away from him.

He felt his heart begin to race. This was it. She would tell him the kiss was a drunk mistake and they would never have a repeat of it, she didn’t feel the same, and he would have to swallow these growing feelings for her. Probably for the best. He still wasn’t sure it was a good idea to act on the feelings he had for her.

He swallowed down his growing panic and sat beside her. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“Why?” she was curious about his answer.

“I, well… I shouldn’t have done… _that_. I drank too much and I guess I wasn’t thinking straight, I don’t want to ruin our friendship, so I understand if you're upset-“

“I’m not upset” she interrupted him as the words tumbled from his mouth, seemingly beyond his control, and was a little amused with the way his mouth snapped shut after she spoke.

“Oh.”

“Oh,” she agreed.

For a moment they sat in silence, listening to nothing but the sound of traffic from the street below, until one of them spoke again.

“Umm” Ladybug twisted her fingers, searching for her words, and ended up asking “do you… do you regret it?”

She immediately wanted to facepalm, but sat on her hands to resist the urge. It wasn’t a bad question.

A heartbeat passed.

“No” he confessed softly, the tiniest hint of a smile on his lips.

“Oh,” she said again.

Chat’s heart was beating wildly in his chest as he glanced towards her. She was sitting on her hands, looking at the ground, but there was a soft smile on her lips and a blush gracing her cheeks. She looks adorable, illuminated by the soft glow of the nearby streetlights.

“I’d never regret kissing you” the honest words tumbled from his lips as he turned his head skywards, as though hoping the few twinkling stars above them would offer him some kind of guidance, aware of the way she had snapped her gaze to him when he said it.

“So…” she spoke hesitantly, there was a storm brewing on Chat’s face and she was half afraid to ask “what does this mean?”

“I don’t know… I’m sorry, I wish I could give you a better answer. I’m just…”

“… it’s okay to be scared Chat” Ladybug reached over, laying her hand over his larger one that rested on the wall between them, bringing his eyes to her “but I need to know what you’re thinking… or feeling.”

“What I’m feeling” he repeated her words thoughtfully, feeling the weight of them on his tongue, and chuckled humourlessly. “I’m _feeling_ like the cities biggest idiot, honestly. You know, I thought when I left the city and my feelings for you began to fade that I was moving on, but I don’t think that was ever an option for me. You see I know I was in love with Ladybug when we were teens, but I’d be lying if I said I never felt anything for you to Marinette. I loved you on both sides of the mask, even if I didn’t realise, so it just makes sense that when I came back and ran into you… well, that I’d fall all over again.”

He stood now, his hand sliding out from beneath hers, and walked away a few steps, his tail sweeping the rooftop in a slow waving motion as he seemed to consider his next words carefully. Ladybug stayed silent, it seemed the best response, and she wasn’t quite sure if her mouth was quite ready to obey her even if she wanted to say something. He had loved her, on both sides of the mask? How could he have ever possibly? She didn’t understand.

“I should have realised… I wanted to stay away from you, to avoid just this happening, but I can't help it” he mutters so quietly she barely heard, but spoke up as he continued “I want to be with you, hell I was terrified at the very thought of you rejecting me, but… but I know it wouldn’t be a good idea. Why would you want me? The son of an actual supervillain who terrorised our childhoods, what kind of twisted turn of events would that be?” he laughed dully “never mind the fact I’m technically your boss, this could ruin your career before you even get started! I’d never stand in the way of your dream like that, and I’m not worth it anyway, and you… you’re worth more than I could ever give you-“

He was cut off by surprise when he felt arms wrap around his middle from behind and she pressed herself against him, burying her face against his spine. “I hate it when you talk about yourself like that” she mumbled, her voice muffled by the way she’d pressed herself against him. He felt a lump in his chest, choking on the words he’d been about to say.

They stood like that for a moment, her holding him firmly, until she finally loosened her arms from around him. He didn’t move away immediately, glancing over his shoulder to see her looking thoughtfully towards the horizon. She only looked at him when he’d stepped away and turned to face her.

“You’re not just his son you know,” she told him “not to me. I don’t even think about that. To me, you’re my partner, and my best friend, and… and the man who’s held my heart since he gave me an umbrella outside the school after I accused him of putting gum on my seat.”

He gaped at her. She’d admitted it so easily, the only sign she was nervous was the growling blush on her cheeks and the way she was rubbing one of her arms lightly.

“And you know… back then, if I hadn’t been so obsessed with Adrien, Chat would have probably swept me off my feet” she confessed lightly, her tone almost teasing, and he found himself smiling despite himself, hanging onto her every word. “These last few years I’ve tried dating, sometimes at Alya’s insistence, sometimes because I thought that’s what I was supposed to be doing. I mean how do you find ‘the one’ if you don’t look, right? But… nothing ever felt right. I realised eventually I wasn’t looking for just ‘the one’, I was looking for the _right_ one. The one who made me feel whole, my other half, and there’s only ever been one person to make me feel that way. Despite however many time’s I may have threatened to hang you from the Eiffel tower by my yoyo.”

He chuckled, like she intended him to, and feeling her nerve begin to waver she decided to keep speaking before she lost her nerve.

“I don’t care that your my boss, and that dating you would probably set up the wrong image with some people, or that it could damage my career. I don’t know if you noticed but I’ve got a pretty good customer base already, and more than half of them have never seen my face. People should appreciate my work for what it is, not my image, I think. What I’m trying to say is – I don’t care… opening my own store has been a dream, sure, but… I think I’d be willing to give it up, for a different dream” she was twisting her hands by the end of her little speech, butterflies coming to life in her stomach. “B-but… if you’re not comfortable, if you don’t think it’s a good idea… I’ll respect your choice. I just hope this won't change anything between us.”

Chat blinked. He had to. He could feel his eyes begin to burn with tears that wanted to be shed as a wave of emotion washed over him. He understood what Marinette had said, about looking for ‘the right one’, he hadn’t realised it until then but he had been looking for the same thing. His other half, the yin to his yang, when a little part of his had always known that she was his match. Perhaps the fact she was more than willing to give up her dreams for him cemented that for him, as he couldn’t remember the last time anyone had wanted to choose him over anything else. Not even his own father had chosen him.

Looking up at Chat’s face when he hadn’t spoken for a few minutes, Ladybug was a bit startled by the crushed expression on his face. Had she upset him?

“Um, how about we go inside?” she suggested, resting a hand on his shoulder gently, the touch apparently drawing him out of whatever thoughts he was having, and he reached a hand up to rub over his face like he could wipe the expression away. “I-I could make some hot cocoa, and I have croissants-“

A crash followed by a scream in the distance interrupted her. Ladybug felt her whole body sigh, more from exasperation than relief, as the old Akuma sirens began to sound, announcing the Yokai attack.

Chat’s ears pricked, listening to the sounds in the distance, as he glanced down at her “sound’s lovely bugaboo, but I think it’ll have to wait. Duty calls and all that…”

“Duty calls” she agreed, less than enthusiastically, taking her yoyo from her hip as she nodded. They weren’t finished here, that much was clear as they held the other’s gaze a little longer than necessary, unanswered and unasked questions floating in their minds as they leapt from the rooftop together towards the noise.

****

Adrien cracked an eye open, half wishing he would fall back to sleep. When he realised he wasn’t at home however, the last dregs of unconsciousness soon left him. Awake now, and glancing around, he realised he was on Marinette’s couch. He could also feel a familiar weight in his hair, and hear soft purring, so he knew Plagg was probably asleep on his head again. He couldn’t remember falling asleep though. Actually, the last thing he remembered was fighting the Yokai. Wouldn’t you know, fighting a monster made of shadow was significantly more difficult at night… he hoped Enenra wouldn’t start making a habit of attacking at night…

He lifted his head slightly, not enough to disrupt Plagg (though he knew from experience that nothing short of an earthquake would wake him). The television was on, but there were no other lights, bathing the room in light blue light from their local news channel. The television was muted though, so he didn’t know what they were talking about, but he was surprised to note the time in the bottom corner of the screen as almost three in the morning.

Even more surprising was Marinette sitting on the floor, her back resting against the sofa, sketch pad resting on her folded knees. Tikki was sitting on her shoulder, watching her draw silently, but seemed to become aware quite fast that they where being watched. When the kwami realised he was awake she patted Marinette’s cheek, causing her to turn and meet his eyes.

“Adrien” she gave him a small smile, her voice quiet as she tried not to wake Plagg “how are you feeling?”

He thought about it, only then becoming aware of a dull ache in his head. “Fine, small headache. What happened?”

“Really, you don’t remember?” she raised an eyebrow.

“I remember fighting, I don’t remember falling asleep on your couch.”

“That’s because I had to carry you here” she snickered, placing her sketchbook down and getting up onto her knees to face him “you know, after you decided to make yourself a human cushion and slammed your head off a brick wall.”

Ahh, now he remembered. Ladybug had seen an opening to rescue the Yokai’s victim – a fourteen-year-old girl - from the creature's chest, and dove for it, clearly not realising there was no safe place for them to land on the other side. He’d seen it, and dove to catch the pair of them, cushioning them from the heavy landing. Of course, he hadn’t expected the blow to knock him out… but the headache wasn’t unexpected.

“We’re pretty sure you don’t have a concussion” Mari continued, indicating between herself and Tikki “so we thought we’d just let you sleep it off.”

“No concussion, just a penchant for stupid decisions” Plagg yawned from his hair, having woken up from their talking, floating out of Adrien’s hair and towards Tikki’s favourite shelf “seriously, kid, try not to kill yourself next time yeah? Now let me sleep. Geesh.”

Adrien huffed a laugh “no promises.”

“Aw don’t mind him” Mari whispered, “he was very worried while you were unconscious.”

“She lies!” Plagg called grumpily from the shelf.

Marinette giggled, half-covering her mouth with a fist, and picking her sketchpad back up. “Plagg only fell asleep half an hour ago. I wanted to stay awake just in case, and he did try to stay awake too. Poor thing.”

A loud “humph” was heard from the shelf, making Marinette and Tikki giggle again. This time Tikki floated off from Marinette’s shoulder to join her companion on the shelf.

“So what happened after I was knocked out?” Adrien asked, twisting on the couch so he was facing her instead of on his back.

Mari had half turned her attention back to whatever she was sketching, and he noticed she had one pencil tucked behind her ear, while she made gentle lines across the paper with another in her hand. “Well, uh… I purified the victim, apparently she’d been at a late music class when Enenra must have got her. She couldn’t remember anything after just like the others. The police took her home, and I brought you here.”

“Ahh” he nodded, glad not to have missed anything very important “so, what are you working on?”

“Hmm? Oh, just some debut designs I’d like for the shop… I thought naming the store ‘Miraculous’ might be a bit on the nose to anyone who knows anything about the miraculous, so I’m going to open up with some designs inspired by the hero’s of Paris as an excuse for the name.”

“Clever” he craned his head, trying to see what she was drawing “can I see?”

She paused, thinking about it for a second, then smirked “Nah. I’d like this one to be a surprise.”

“Ooh, why, is it ‘Chat Noir’ inspired?”

“Maybe.”

“Aww, please Marinette, let me see?” he moved, his torso dangling off the couch as he placed one hand against the floor to brace himself, creeping closer to her and the sketchpad.

She laughed “no, lie back down before you knock yourself out again!”

He continued trying to reach, stretching his other arm out and grinning when she was forced to hold the pad behind her back to keep it away from him, snickering In a final attempt, Adrien lunged, missing the pad and falling off the sofa completely, onto Marinette with a groan. Mari’s giggles turned into full-blown laughter at this, even with his whole weight squashing her into the hard floor, she had still managed to keep the pad from his reach.

“I thought-“ Mari gasped, laughing, as Adrien lifted his head enough to peer at her curiously “-I thought, you said, you were quick as a cat?”

He felt his eyebrows raise, the smirk on his face turning into a full-blown smile “was that a cat joke my lady?”

“Possibly.”

They both laughed, Adrien, lifting himself up onto his elbows, until they both realised the position they were in.

Looking away from one another, they both blushed heavily, and Adrien rolled himself off of her and onto the floor beside her, not making another attempt at snatching the pad away.

“Um, sorry” he apologised awkwardly.

“No, it’s… okay” she sounded calmer than she felt, a yawn passing through her lips. She had wondered if they would have to continue their earlier conversation about their feelings when he woke up, but truthfully, she wasn’t sure she could stay awake for it if they did. For all they had said earlier, nothing had really been cleared up. They didn’t regret the kiss. They both had feelings for each other. Adrien thought being together would ruin her life. Marinette didn’t agree, and didn’t care. But… what now?

“Sorry you had to stay awake and babysit me too” he apologised again, surprising her.

“Don’t apologise, I couldn’t have slept anyway…” Mari confessed. He turned to look at her, arching an eyebrow, and she briefly wondered if she should admit that she was thinking about their conversation. Instead, she found herself telling him “I’ve been thinking, about how we might finally stop Enenra. Do you remember how we tracked down Hawkmoth?”

“We mapped out the areas where most Akuma butterflies were spotted and staked them out until we found where they were coming from.”

“Yeah… we can’t do that for Enenra. She attacks her victims personally, not from a distance, but I was wondering… maybe if we spoke to the victims again we might find an overlap of the places they were before they became Yokai. At the very least we might find an area she works from the most.”

“It’s not a bad plan” Adrien agreed, staring up at her white ceiling “we could get lucky.”

“I hope so…” she shut her eyes “they… on the news, while you were unconscious, they showed some interviews… people are so scared. Enenra has attacked four times in five days. I don’t know if she’s desperate or if she wants to exhaust us, but the civilians are suffering for it. They’re calling for Ladybug to _do something_ about it and… and I just don’t… I don’t know _what_ to do. How do I fight her when I can't even _find_ her?”

“Hey…” he shuffled closed on the floor so he could nudge her shoulder with his own “it’s not your fault.”

“But it’s my responsibility.”

“ _And_ mine” he reminded her “ _and_ Alya’s _and_ Ninos. We’re all in this fight together Marinette, you don’t have to shoulder this by yourself. We’ll keep fighting, keep protecting, like we always do. I’m by your side, no matter what.”

“No matter what?” she asked, her voice small, as she turned enough to meet his gaze.

Adrien was suddenly struck by their earlier conversation. Their confessions, the fact she was willing to risk everything for him, and his reservations that stopped him. They still had a lot to talk about, but… “Yeah. No matter what” he promised her softly, leaning forward enough to press a gentle kiss to her forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whaaaat, another chapter already? What can I say, I had an extra day off this week and I'm enjoying the new laptop. 
> 
> So what can I say about this chapter. It's all over the place, for one, but its a sort of intentional-unintentional mess. I mean I'm not great at expressing emotion myself, I think that translates into my writing a bit, but since when has it been easy for anyone to talk about their feelings. Especially without life getting in the way? (life, in this case, being supervillains and work) but yeah, they finally have their talk. They both confess they have feelings for each other, and Adrien struggles with a bit of self loathing. Which Marinette hates. Are they together, are they not? No one is sure, including them. That's intentional. 
> 
> Also does anyone else wish they had someone like Plagg in their life to throw cheese at them when they start over thinking? Just me? Okay...


	26. Chapter Twenty Six

Marinette could feel herself drifting off and jerked, glancing around wildly to be sure she hadn’t either missed Alya and Nino’s flight arriving or that anyone had noticed her almost falling asleep in the hard plastic seats.

Rubbing a hand over her face to try and chase away the tiredness that seemed to be trying to drag her heavy eyelids closed, she sincerely hoped their flight would arrive soon, she wasn’t sure how much longer she could wait and not fall asleep. She wasn’t even sure coffee could help her anymore at this point, considering she’d had a large one when she’d arrive at the airport half an hour ago.

She felt like Chat had jinxed it when he’d hoped out loud that Enenra wouldn’t continue to attack at night because her next few attacks had all happened at night. Marinette wasn’t sure if this was a tactical advantage – obviously, it was harder for them to fight a shadow creature in the dark, even in the city of lights – or if there was perhaps a reason Enenra had to switch her attack’s to nightfall for a reason in her personal life. She hoped it was the latter, as it might help them track her down. Though they weren’t doing much tracking in their current sleep-deprived states.

Between attacks in the middle of the night, Marinette was still getting herself up in the early hours to go and help her parents out at the bakery, after which she’d spend the rest of the day fulfilling her website orders and designing/sewing new pieces for the shop – which they now predicted would be ready to open at the end of March, around the same time the Agreste Fashions spring-line would drop, featuring Marinette’s skyline dress. Adrien hoped this would help promote the shop.

She knew Adrien wasn’t exactly a fan of the new late-night attacks either. Since their talk, she’d seen him once at his offices. He’d asked to meet with her to discuss the opening of her store offering to have lunch together in his office as a – she suspected – kind of olive branch after the awkwardness of their confessions. He’d looked as exhausted as she felt, and had admitted to her that one of the other designers who’d signed off on the shop deal had been keeping him busy with all her demands. Mari had been more surprised when she was leaving his office and said designer was waiting outside his office for him, and she recognised her as the rude lady from the market who’d demanded she and Alya stop laughing so loudly. She didn’t have her crutch anymore, but she’d still treated Marinette rather conceitedly when Adrien attempted to introduce them, and Marinette had felt sorry for him when she got a glimpse of his drained expression as she was leaving.

Because of their busy schedules, the only time they were able to spend together was when they managed to fit in a brief patrol the day before. Marinette had felt the need to let off some steam running over the rooftops, and despite their rule not to patrol alone they had been forced to do solo patrols while Alya and Nino where on their honeymoon. It wasn’t her turn, but she’d asked Adrien if he minded her joining him. He’d replied to her message that he wouldn’t mind at all, and they’d agreed to meet at the Louvre that night.

That was probably a part of why she was so tired today.

“Marinette!” the sound of her name made her jerk in her seat again, she hadn’t even been aware she was starting to slump and close her eyes again. Cheeks heating with embarrassment she looked towards the shout and found Alya and Nino waving cheerily as they exited the terminal, dragging their suitcases with them.

“Alya, Nino!” Marinette jumped up to hug them.

“We’re you falling asleep there M?” Nino laughed.

“I’m exhausted” she responded without hesitation, tone full of false cheeriness as she bounced back from the hug and grinned “so how was your honeymoon?”

“Gorgeous” Alya sighed “I miss it already.”

“I started missing it on the plane” Nino agreed “we did ask Adrien if you wanted us to come back early to help with, well, _y’know_ , but he said you could handle it. Where is my best-bro anyway?”

“I think he said something about a meeting-“

“-I’m here!”

The three of them looked around, surprised, to find a haggard-looking Adrien making his way through the small crowd. There was the occasional person who stopped and stared, or pointed and whispered, but he rolled his eyes and tried to put on a smile for his friends.

“Did you think I’d miss you coming home?” he asked when he finally reached them, smoothing down the front of his suit jacket a little self-consciously and catching Marinette’s eye. They both looked away from one another immediately.

“Dude” Nino hugged him.

“Aaand I’m still the third wheel in my own marriage” Alya sighed “seriously, I can’t wait until you start dating someone Sunshine, so I can steal them and you can feel like the third wheel for a change.”

“Err…” Adrien looked bewildered for a moment, and she noticed the way Marinette’s face flushed as she turned away quickly to ask Nino about the shark-tooth necklace he had bought as a souvenir.

Interesting… the redhead thought to herself, even as Adrien announced he’d driven so they wouldn’t need to catch a cab back to the city. They walked through the airport in pairs, Alya and Marinette following Nino and Adrien, and the couple told them all about their honeymoon, ranging from the restaurants they tried to swimming with dolphins.

When they got to the car Alya noted that Marinette slipped into the backseat and let Nino take the front.

“So, we saw on the news about Enenra,” Alya said once they had driven out of the parking lot, taking on a serious tone “do you think she attacked on purpose, knowing Nino and I weren’t there for backup? Does she know who we are?”

“I don’t think so” Marinette shook her head slowly, the same worry had occurred to her during the week and she’d had plenty of time to think on it while working, “I think… if she knew who any of us actually where, she’d attack us directly. Attacking the city is the only way she knows to draw us out, especially now that we’ve switched up patrols. After half a dozen attacks without you, she’s probably figured out you’re not around and took advantage of it though.”

“Well we’re back and ready to kick some seriously-creepy butt” Nino declared, adding “seriously guys, she creeps me the hell out. It’s her eyes.”

“Marinette thinks we might be able to track her down the same way we tracked down Hawkmoth,” Adrien said.

“By waiting for a butterfly?” Nino craned around in the front seat to frown at Mari.

“No, by seeing if there’s a pattern of where Yokai appears or where the victims were before they got attacks… it’s a long shot, but if we can maybe localise it we can find her hunting grounds” Mari explained “that, or… Adrien thinks Enenra is still injured because we haven’t actually seen her around at any of the attacks, but we think she’ll be close by to try and take our miraculous if the chance presents itself. We wondered about splitting up during attacks to try and track her down.”

“Could work” Alya nodded slowly.

They discussed the plan for the rest of the car ride back to Nino and Alya’s apartment, with Nino and Alya offering their perspectives since they had fresher eyes on the situation compared with Adrien and Marinette. They got back just after tea time, the dark winter nights meaning the sun was already hanging low in the sky, casting long shadows across the street, and apparently reminding Nino he hadn’t eaten anything since their in-flight meal.

“Does anyone else want pizza, because I suddenly want pizza?” the DJ asked, retrieving one of the suitcases from the trunk.

“I could do pizza” Adrien yawned.

“Actually I have a craving for pastries,” Alya said thoughtfully “hey Marinette, how about we pop to the bakery? I still need to thank your parents for the wonderful job they did with the cake anyway.”

Marinette had been in a half-asleep daze until she heard her name, and gave Alya a slightly confused frown as she nodded, agreeing to whatever Alya wanted.

“Brilliant,” Alya linked her arm through Marinette’s, already leading her off down the pathway “we’ll see you guys later yeah?”

“Bring back macarons!” Nino yelled after them.

The walk to the bakery didn’t take long, and Mari’s parents greeted them both warmly, before adding that after the weekend Marinette didn’t need to help them out anymore for which the young designer was thankful. She and her bed were sorely missing out on some quality time together she thought, gratefully accepting the large coffee her dad had poured her with a knowing look, while Alya thanked her mom for the wedding cake.

Once the pleasantries where over, and Marinette’s parents were forced to go tend to a few customers who had just come through the door hoping for end-of-the-day deals, the two girls sat down with their choice of goodies and coffee in the dining area.

“So, you going to tell me what’s going on between you and Adrien?”

“What- _how_ did you-?” Mari burnt her tongue on her coffee and gaped.

Alya smirked “I didn’t, until now, but I got a vibe something happened. You gonna tell?”

“Ah…” Mari hesitated to try to find her words, eventually looking at the table as she quietly confessed: “well, he – uh – he kissed me… and I… kissed him back.”

“He _what_?!” Alya half-shrieked, sending an apologetic look towards the counter where she’d just startled some customers and Marinette’s parents. “Oh my god, girl, I need all the deets. When? Why? Was it good?”

“Alya!” Marinette snickered, feeling her cheeks burn “it was after your wedding-“

“-oh my god!-“

“-and we were both drunk… one thing led to another I guess… I kind of dared him to do it really… and… yeah. It was _really_ good.”

“I am totally claiming responsibility for your relationship at your wedding” Alya grinned, though at the expression on Marinette’s face she faltered “wait… you two _are_ dating now, right?”

“Um… well… I don’t know?”

“How can you _not_ know if you’re dating someone?”

“Well… he kind of ran away after he kissed me. But don’t worry! We talked!”

Alya sat back in her seat, arms folded. “Uh-huh, go on, because whatever you say next decides how hard I punch him.”

Marinette winced, “I told him how I feel about him.”

“You told him you love him?”

“Well… not in those exact words. But yes.”

“I’m so proud of you. I remember the days you couldn’t string any words together to tell him how you feel. So, how’d he respond?”

“He said he feels the same but…”

“Ah, the ‘but’” Alya sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose between two fingers “There’s always a ‘but’. What was his ‘but’?”

“He’s worried it would ruin my career if we were together, either because someone assumed that’s why he’s helping me or because of… well, his dad.”

“Urgh” Alya groaned loudly, dragging both her hands down her face “this boy, I swear... but I thought you said you don’t know ‘if’ you're together, because that sounds a lot like him trying to push you away.”

“Yeah, well, there was an attack before we could finish talking… but I told him I didn’t care what being with him would do to my career. I don’t know how he was going to respond, but during the attack, he saved me and the victim and got himself knocked out. I brought him back to my place and we hung out like nothing had happened… and he… he kissed me on the head…”

“Huh.”

“And… we had lunch at his office the other day, but I think that was more of a work meeting than anything else… he did cuddle up to me at the end of patrol last night but he always does that when he’s Chat so it’s hard to tell if it’s just habit or… I don’t know… I’m confused, and I’m a bit afraid that if I bring it up again I’ll ruin what we have now.”

Alya rubbed her chin thoughtfully for a few minutes, saying nothing.

In the silence, Marinette felt everything she’d been worrying about all week – despite Tikki’s best efforts to calm her- bubbling up to the surface again. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything to him… maybe I should have just pretended I didn’t remember the kiss. Or said it was just because we were drunk…”

“Marinette, girl, calm down. I’m trying to give you advice, I just needed to think” Alya reached over the small round table, grabbing her friends wrists gently to stop her wild gesturing, completely used to the frantic movements of her hands when she got upset or worried.

Marinette gave her a grateful half-smile, taking a deep calming breath as she did so.

“Now” the redhead sat back in her again, speaking gently “tell me exactly what it is that _you_ want. I think we need to focus on that for a minute.”

“What… I want?”

“Yeah, from this thing with you and Adrien.”

“I… I don’t want him to feel pressured by what I want Alya” Mari shook her head, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she looked out of the window beside them “if he doesn’t want anything more than ‘just friends’ then I’d be okay with that. I... yeah. Of course I love him, but I want him to be with me because it’s what _he_ wants. Not what _I_ want.” The dark-haired girl sighed as she finished speaking, folding her arms on the table and resting her head on them.

“You’re exhausted” Alya reached over and gently stroked the loose hair from Mari’s face, just as she used to when they were in school and she’d come to class in a similar state “has this been keeping you up at night?” she guessed.

“No!” Mari groaned “well… yes. But not just this. It’s the attacks. And work. The bakery needed an extra pair of hands, plus I’ve got so many orders on the website, I always do after I shut it down for a while, and I needed some new designs to debut in the shop when it opens – oh, end of March we’re thinking for that by the way – and I have patrol with Chat again tonight…”

Alya felt for her friend, watching her almost fall asleep on the bakery table. “I’ll do your patrol tonight,” she said.

“What? No, you don’t have to do that. You’ve just come back, you’ll be tired…”

“Not half as tried as you” Alya snickered, picking up one of Mari’s hands by the wrist and dropping it to watch it flop back down “you’re half dead, and probably more likely to fall off a roof than anything else. Go home, have a hot bath, and go to bed.”

Marinette was tempted, badly. “But-“

“-Plus, I think you need some space between yourself and Adrien” Alya admitted her ulterior motive with a nonchalant shrug, “I think it would do you some good. You’ve been practically inseparable for a while now, you _act_ like a couple without any of the actual benefits of being in one, I think some space will give you both time to figure out what you want from each other.”

“I… I’ll have to tell Adrien. He’ll worry if I don’t turn up” Marinette relented, seeing sense in Alya’s suggestion. She pulled out her phone, intending to message him, but Alya place a hand over the phone and shook her head slowly.

“Don’t, I’ll explain it to him. I don’t want you to message him at all for the rest of the night, got it? Space.”

A thought occurred to Marinette. “You’re not going to use this to ambush him are you?”

“Moi?” Alya acted offended, but more seriously added “no, I won’t ‘ambush’ him as you say. I might talk to him, be a pretty dull patrol if I didn’t, but after our last talk… I certainly have things to say to him, but nothing awful. Don’t worry, I won’t push him off a rooftop or dangle him from the Eiffel tower… yet.”

“Alyaaaa” Marinette whined a warning, but couldn’t help the laughter sneaking into her tone.

“Maaarinette” Alya mimicked, laughing.

****

Chat stood on the rooftop of a hotel, leaning on his baton and watching the first stars begin to appear on the darkening horizon. His tail twitched behind him. She was late.

He tried not to worry, he really did, but he didn’t seem able to help it. Whenever she wasn’t in his sight he felt this gnawing sensation in his heart and mind. Even if she was perfectly capable of defending herself, he knew there was a chance he could lose her. All it took was a chance, and he wouldn’t say fate had been kind to him in regards to keeping his loved ones in his life…

The fact she was late wasn’t the only thing to make him nervous.

There was no denying that since their talk there was a... tension, between them. He felt very aware of it, and if the fleeting glances he caught from her where any indication, so was she. They were in a kind of limbo, he knew that much, neither of them sure which step to make next and trying to act like nothing had happened.

“How long am I going to stand here before you greet me?”

He jumped back, ears and tail going comically straight, as he finally noticed the orange fox hero standing a few meters from him, smirking.

“You scared the hell out of me.”

“Clearly” Rena Rogue didn’t sound apologetic at all, raising an eyebrow “but I did say hello, apparently you were too busy scowling at the sky to hear me.”

He didn’t dignify that with a response. “Where’s Ladybug?”

“Well, I set her home for a hot bath and an early night so with any luck she’s soaking into a tub full of bubbles right about now,” Rena told him wistfully, standing on the edge of the building with her arms spread out for balance as she walked the edge. When she cleared the distance between them she jumped down and added more seriously “honestly, she was exhausted. I was afraid that if she came out tonight she’d fall off a rooftop or something, so I offered to cover.”

Chat blinked and looked away from the fox. Was she really that exhausted? When they had met in his office for lunch she had told him she had a lot of design work to finish, and orders for her website, as well as the bakery, patrol and the attacks. He’d kind of wondered if it wasn’t an excuse not to see or talk to him though. She’d never given any indication at their patrol the previous night she was that tired.

Rena must’ve known what he was thinking because she suddenly said: “she overworks herself like this a lot when she has as a goal in mind.”

He glanced back at her and nodded… it still didn’t explain to him why she didn’t tell him she needed a break. Or that Rena was replacing her on patrol. Maybe he should stop by after patrol and make sure she really was okay…

“So Mr Kitty, are we actually going to patrol or do you just stand on rooftops for your patrols?”

“Impatient fox” Chat rolled his eyes, extending his baton and jumping from the rooftop “anyone would think you were impatient to get home to your husband!”

Rena laughed “you’re just jealous you’re not!” she yelled as she followed.

They patrolled for an hour without much talk between them. Chat frightened a would-be mugger, and Alya admonished some teenagers for graffiti but otherwise, the city was quiet – or as quiet as it ever was. Still, after Enenra’s late-night attacks the last few days they decided to extend the patrol a bit, resting on the Arch de triumph after their long patrol.

He had barely caught his breath before Rena asked: “so, what’s going on with you and my girl?”

“What?” he arched an eyebrow.

“Don’t play dumb, you know what I mean” she had her hands on her hips, and her tone was serious, but she didn’t look angry with him which is what he’d been afraid of.

For a heartbeat though, he considered playing dumb. After all, though he knew her intentions were well placed, what business was it of hers what happened between him and Marinette? His tail lashed behind him with irritation, but he sighed to calm himself.

“She told you, didn’t she?” he guessed, seeing how Rena nodded. “Then you know what happened.”

“I know _her_ perspective,” Rena told him carefully “now I want _yours_.”

“We kissed. We were drunk. We talked about it. What more do you need to know?” he snapped, early lying flat in his blonde hair as he sat on the edge of the arch, legs dangling over the sides.

“I think you’re missing the part where you both confessed to liking each other as ‘more than friends’ and the part where you told her you couldn’t be together because being with you would ‘ruin her life’” Rena replied calmly, sitting cross-legged beside him “so, care to tell me about that?”

He felt the words, though they were his own, like he had been stabbed and the defensive anger began to bleed out of him, his entire postured deflating as it did. For a moment he didn’t reply at all to her, and she let the silence continue as she waited for an answer.

“I’m not good enough for her” he finally admitted, quietly enough that the words were almost stolen by the wind.

“Oh, Sunshine…” Rena reached out, rubbing a soothing circle on his shoulder blade, even as he hunched away from her touch almost out of reflex.

“I’m… my life isn’t a glamourous dream. It never has been, but that’s far from the point. Eyes are on me, constantly. Do you remember when she helped me hide from people after that advert came out and people were chasing me down? It’s like that. But every day. And they’re _not_ always fans. I’m constantly fighting to be seen as myself, and not as my father – or what my father _did_. Some day’s it seems that nothing I do is right, so why bother? Some people will always just see me as the same _monster_ he was. I’m _threatened_ , I’m _distrusted_ … and sometimes I wonder if they aren’t right to do so. My power is literally to _destroy_ , who wouldn’t be afraid of that?!” he waved his clawed hand, almost tempted to should ‘Cataclysm’ just to prove the point, demonstrate just what he meant, but he didn’t. Even as he ranted, she never stopped rubbing soothing circles on his shoulder, listening.

“How could I drag her into that?” he asked, “how could I rake her name through the same mud mine’s still stuck in?”

“I understand” she finally said, once she was sure he’d finished speaking “well… I don’t. But I can imagine. I also think your missing something obvious, and that makes you a bit dumb.”

He frowned, and felt that fire in him spark up again. “What? You think it’s stupid to look out for her in my own way?” he snapped, shrugging her hand from his shoulder and letting the barest feline hiss escape from between his teeth “do you think ‘love’ would fix everything and we’ll run off into the sunset together happy as you and Ni-uh-Carapace are?! Well, love _doesn’t_ fix everything Rena, believe me, I damn well _tried_!”

“No, I-“

“Then why? _Why_ are you pushing for this so hard?” he stood up, his tail lashing, voice raised but not quite a shout yet “shouldn’t you be looking out for her too? I already broke her heart once! She should be with someone that isn’t going to cause her name to be whispered like a damn curse…, not me.”

Rena waited a moment, before asking in a thoroughly unimpressed tone “are you done?”

He narrowed his eyes at her tone, watching her stand up.

“I’ll take that as a yes, brilliant, now I came out here with _every_ intention of listening to whatever problem you have that stops you being with a girl you are pretty obviously head over heels with and maybe even offering you some advice, but after that little woe-is-me speech, I don’t think that’s going to make a dent in your little pity party” she was poking him in the chest now, and Chat blinked, taken aback by the response. “Now, are you listening to me? Good. Shut up for a minute. I _didn’t_ think you were dumb for watching out for her interests, if anything I’m glad you thought of that because let’s face it, she probably didn’t. Also no, I _don’t_ think love _solves_ everything. Love is damn well _hard_. Its _work_. Some days, it’s a _lot_ of work. Even for me and Carapace. Yeah, sometimes I want to kill him, sometimes I wonder why the hell we’re together at all, but I wouldn’t give him up for anything, whatever life throws at us, we get through it together. He’s got my back, I’ve got his.”

“What I _meant_ , when I called you dumb, if you're acting like she doesn’t already _know_ all this about you. She’s not some silly star-struck fool, she knows more about you then probably anyone else, and she _still_ wants to be with you. _And_ do you know what else you’re forgetting?”

He shook his head slowly.

“She’s been through everything you’ve been through more times than we can count” Rena crossed her arms over her chest and looked very satisfied with herself, but he was still lost.

“What do you mean?” he finally asked after a moment.

“God, dude, she’s _Ladybug_ ” Rena sighed, running a hand over her hair “she’s a hero, she’s a leader, and just like any popular figurehead, she’s either loved or she’s hated. Every time something goes wrong in this city, it’s Ladybug who’s thrown under the bus. Have you even bothered to see what they are saying about her lately because of Enenra’s attacks? I’ve had to close the comment boards on the Ladyblog permanently!”

Chat paused for a moment. Honestly, the idea that she would know what he was going through because of the way the public treated her Ladybug identity hadn’t crossed his mind. He had seen for himself how people treated her these days, upset with Enenra’s return and blaming Ladybug, reminded of the reporters he’d had to force to back off her earlier that week.

“That’s different” he pointed out “Ladybug isn’t her real life.”

“You think she feels less responsible because of that?”

They both knew the answer to that.

“That’s just more of a reason not to do it” he finally said after a minute “why have her name scorned on both sides of the mask?”

Rena shook her head “that wasn’t my point, but if that’s what you’re going to take from it then I can’t argue with you. Look, in the end, I just want you both to be happy. I think you’d be happier together, but she’s willing to burry all her feelings for you if that’s what you choose to do. However, I feel I need to point out that if you choose not to act on your feelings for her, then you need to _back off_. I’m not saying you can’t be friends, or partners, but I am saying you _can’t_ have this weird pseudo-relationship without actually letting each other _move on_ to other people.”

He frowned at her.

“Don’t give me that look, you _know_ what I mean” she shook her head “if you're letting her go, then you’re letting her move on too. Especially because we have plans to raise our babies as best-friend-moms, we’ve had these plans since before Carapace and me where together, and I’ll curse you if you ruin that” she tried to joke.

Chat didn’t laugh. He was too busy wondering why his stomach dropped at the mere thought of seeing Marinette with her own kids… would they be dark-haired like her? Whose eyes would thy have? Somehow when he imagined her holding a tiny bundle of joy the only features he could imagine where a crop of dark hair and bright green eyes. His eyes. But that wouldn’t happen, not unless it was his kid… he shook himself from that dangerous fantasy.

Rena didn’t know what he was thinking, but she saw the hard expression on his face, and she sighed, feeling as though her mission to encourage him in the right direction had failed. Attempting one last ditched effort she sighed and told him “she does love you, yknow.”

Chat looked at her, eye’s blown wide.

Rena shrugged and carried on “she said that when you two talked she didn’t actually say the words. I think she’s afraid to say it, that you won’t say it back. She’s braver these days is my girl, braver than she was at fourteen anyway, but putting herself out there like that is still _scary_.”

He didn’t say anything back, one of his ears twitching as he looked across the city thoughtfully.

Rena shook her head “well, I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to call it a night. With any luck my husband has left me some pizza… Trixx and Wyazz will let us know if there’s an attack tonight.”

Chat bid her a wordless goodbye, nodding as she left the arch via rooftops towards home. He extended his baton to leave himself, leaping from baton to rooftop, his cawed fingers finding purchase in brick walls when he nearly missed a landing, and barely paying attention as he thought about what Rena had said.

It almost wasn’t a surprise at all when he found himself stopping on a familiar rooftop. It was the one he and Ladybug had talked on the other night, and also his usual spot for stopping by to make sure she was alright. You see, this particular rooftop has an almost straight view into her apartment across the road.

He stayed in the shadows. He didn’t want her to spot him if she happened to glance out. It didn’t appear as though he should have bothered. He could see the lights were on in her apartment, but she wasn’t around. The bathroom door was shut though, so perhaps she had taken Alya’s advice and was soaking in a hot bath.

Sighing, he crouched down on one knee to wait. He knew that gnawing feeling in his chest and head wouldn’t leave until he got a glimpse of her, no matter how creepy he felt about it, he’d never be able to settle for the night.

That was why he was so tired. Sure Enenra’s attacks hadn’t helped, not had his current workload, but the biggest factor – in his opinion – would be the fact he’d forced himself to stay away from her. He hadn’t lurked on this rooftop ever since their talk. Outside of patrol and work meetings, they hadn’t seen one another. He hated it. He was constantly plagued with thoughts of her, had to stop himself reaching for the phone just to hear her voice, and missed her smile and her laugh and the way her nose wrinkled when she was concentrating on something…

Worse, were the nightmares. It happened the first night, when he’d had this nagging feeling to check on her and forced himself to ignore it. He’d had such awful nightmares of losing her. They seemed to get worse the more he fought against it. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a peaceful sleep.

He was jerked out of his thoughts by sudden movement in her apartment, and refocused just as the bathroom door opened and she stepped out. She had a pale pink bath towel wrapped around herself, clutching it shut with one hand over her chest and she walked around, her long dark hair seeming even darker as it hung in wet strands behind her, and there was a slight flush to her cheeks that probably had more to do with temperature than anything else.

He felt himself softening just watching her.

If they were together… he could have been in her apartment to see this, rather than standing on some rooftop like a stalker, twitching like a junkie waiting for his next fix. If he was in there he’d be able to touch her, to take her in his arms, to press a kiss to her wet hair and tell her how beautiful she looked like this.

Instead, he as out here, cold, with the knowledge that once he got home and transformed he’d be getting an earful from Plagg for his lurking.

He thought back on what Rena had said. He felt a little bad for snapping at her as he did, aware she was just trying to help him – help them really – and he knew she was right. About everything. If he decided to ignore his feelings then he needed to give Marinette the space to move on from him, even if it killed him. The very thought of doing so made him feel stick to his stomach though.

She was also right about the whole Ladybug thing. It hadn’t occurred to him before, but when it came to having your name slandered every time the media was a little upset with you (or had a slow news day, or just for the hell of it he thought) she had just as much experience with that as he did. He still thought it was a little different, after all ‘Ladybug’ was a secret identity, but he knew she didn’t feel it any less outside of the mask. He still thought this was another reason not to bring her into his mess, where both her names would be smeared.

Chat’s ring beeped suddenly, and he had barely a second to hide behind a shed on the rooftop as green light effulged him, transforming him back into Adrien.

“What the hell Plagg?” he cursed the kwami, leaning on the rotting wood of the shed as he tried to sneak a peek around it to see if Marinette had noticed anything. He couldn’t see her at the windows though, so he assumed not.

“I’m _not_ being a part of it when you start stalking your girlfriend naked” Plagg huffed, folding his little arms.

“She’s not – _oh crap_!” Adrien started to argue, but he’d just noticed the abandoned towel on Marinette’s bed. He couldn’t see her, but he hadn’t even been aware she’d removed it, so lost in his thoughts.

“ _Yeah_. So, we gonna talk about what the fox said?” Plagg asked.

“Eh?”

“I don’t offer my advice often so decide if you want it or not kid.”

“Um… yes?” he was curious what Plagg would have to say, especially if he felt the need to detransform on a rooftop just to say it.

“ _Stop_ believing you don’t deserve to be happy,” Plagg told him bluntly, giving him a dull look “or believing every bit of happiness you have will be snatched away, so why bother having it right? Or whatever it is your thinking… look I’m not great at this, but Adrien you’re a good kid. One of the dam best Chat Noir’s I’ve ever had, and you _deserve_ to be happy. But you’ve _always_ had this problem with letting yourself be happy. For once I wish you’d just be completely selfish, and take something for yourself. Let her choose if she’s okay with the consequences, don’t just choose for her.”

Plagg wasn’t looking at him, in fact, he seemed to be looking anywhere except at Adrien directly, but he knew why. Plagg wasn’t great with emotional advice, he was a creature of sarcasm and cheese as he sometimes said. But on the rare times he did, Adrien knew to listen.

“Now, if we’re done with the yucky-sappy stuff I think I’d rather we go home so you can sit around and mope where it’s _warm_ and I can have my cheese. And no more stalking naked girlfriends!”

“I wasn’t- she wasn’t naked when I got here, that was an accident!”

“Yeah, yeah, I _totally_ believe you. Just say the words.”

Adrien chuckled, rubbing Plagg’s head between his ears as an unspoken thank you, feeling a little more light-hearted than he had an hour ago. “Claws out!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alya ain't got time for no pity party Adrien.   
> And Plagg has his two-cents to say. 
> 
> Also, Marinette, honey, burn-out is a real thing. Calm down. 
> 
> And Adrien, your slightly obsessive tendencies are not healthy, nor is your way of thinking particularly healthy either. You may need help sweetie.


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven

Another book of colour swatches was placed in front of Marinette and she couldn’t help the sigh that escaped before she could hold it in.

“I know” Sophia mumbled beside her, as the workman who’d handed them the fold of paint colours walked off to do something else “I never knew how many different shades of red and pink actually existed until now!”

“I knew, but when you're staring at them all for an hour they start to look the same” Marinette replied, leafing through the folder absentmindedly.

Sophia had finally returned to work that morning, she’d been told, and the first task Adrien had given his assistant was to replace him at Marinette’s new shop going over the decorating options with the workers now they had finished the repairs. Mari had been a bit disappointed when she was told Adrien wasn’t coming, but then again not completely surprised. Ever since Alya and Nino had returned, the only times she ever saw Adrien was when the four of them were hanging out. He said it was because of work, getting the new shops ready and the Spring Line and still searching for a replacement for Mr Renard, he’d even been forced to swap his patrol days so Ladybug had been doing her patrols with Rena instead.

It felt like he was avoiding her, and she couldn’t help but wonder if Alya hadn’t given him the same advice as her – to stay away, and give each other space to figure out what they really want. Or maybe this was what he actually wanted for their relationship now? Just work, and friends.

She tried not to be hurt that he hadn’t talked to her, after all, she had said it was okay if this was all he wanted. And it was okay. But there was still a dull ache in her heart, and the world seemed just a little more muted than it usually did, like everything held a bit of her sadness.

Which was probably why it was taking her so long to pick a colour for the walls of the boutiques main room. She’d already chosen colours for the rest of the rooms – rooms that would become storage, or an office, or whatever she needed them to be – and it hadn’t taken her half as long. But she couldn’t help it. None of the colours seemed right.

“You know, you don’t need to make a decision right away…” Sophia spoke up suddenly, as though she had sensed Marinette was struggling with the decision. “I know Mr Agreste can seem like he’s pushing for a decision right now but he won’t mind if you need a few days to think. I’d be happy to let him know you need a few days?”

As much as Marinette knew Sophia was probably right, he wouldn’t mind, she felt like delaying the decision would be a pain, and she didn’t want to annoy him. Snapping the folder shut she looked up at Sophia “no, no, it’s okay. Honestly, I think I’ll just go with the same option as the office.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, I’ll make a note. Besides it’s just a wall, it’s not like it can’t be changed later if you decide it’s not right” Sophia pointed out, scribbling something on the clipboard she’d brought with her. She caught sight of her watch as she did so, and hissed between her teeth “oh my I didn’t realise how late it was getting! And Mr Agreste still isn’t here, poor man, his meeting must have run over by a lot!”

“He was supposed to be here?” Marinette raised an eyebrow. Sure she’d known he was supposed to be here, but when Sophia had turned up instead she figured he wasn’t coming at all…

“That’s what he said” Sophia nodded “he knows I need to leave before my son finishes his violin classes to pick him up, he promised he’d be here before I had to go… but he had a meeting about the Spring line, apparently there’s been some upset over whether or not he should actually attend the event.”

“Why should he?” Mari frowned.

“Well… some of our partners are happy to work with Agreste Fashions… but they aren’t so thrilled with Mr Agreste _actually_ showing up. They think his presence just brings too much negative attention after… yeah, you know. His dad.”

“That’s ridiculous, how can they claim to be happy working with a brand that still shares a name with Gabriel but not want his son around – especially since Adrien is nothing like his father!”

Sophia held her hands up and shrugged “I know, it’s ridiculous, apparently, someone always makes a fuss any time he wants to attend an event for the company – which is why he has a reputation for sending other people to represent us instead of going himself. It seems to have been pretty bad here in Paris though.”

Marinette shook her head angrily and had to bite her tongue from cursing Gabriel’s name again. Was there no part of Adrien’s life the man’s reputation hadn’t touched?

“I hope he finishes soon…” Sophia muttered, looking at her watch again, chewing her lip.

“I didn’t know you had a son” Marinette mentioned in a lighter tone, trying to distract the anxious woman “he seems like a nice boy. How old is he?”

“Thank you, he’s fifteen” Sophia smiled, and snickered a little when she saw the surprise on Marinette’s face “I know, I know, everyone always seems too shocked that I’d have a son that age. Honestly, I’m older than I look, but I did have him when I was quite young, but I don’t regret it. He’s been the best thing in my life for a long time.”

Marinette was trying to school her expression, but she had been caught off guard, having guessed Sophia was somewhere around her age. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-it just caught me by surprise that’s all.”

“No need to apologise, people have that ‘shocked’ expression all the time when they find out” Sophia giggled “I try to take it as a compliment that I still look young enough for it to be a shock!”

Marinette laughed at that too, before they were briefly interrupted by one of the workmen asking Marinette to choose from two different wood stain options for the shop floor.

“You know, when I had to take extended leave after Avery got sick I was a bit afraid Mr Agreste would have to fire me” Sophia confided once the workman had left them again, “I’ve… worked a lot of jobs. It’s not easy being a single mother, especially when he was still very young. And after he got sick…”

Marinette felt an odd sense of pride that Adrien was empathetic to Sophia’s situation, giving her the time odd she needed to care for her son without the worry of losing her job over it. “He’s a good man” she agreed, hearting the warmth in her voice “he always has been. Did I ever tell you that when I first met him I yelled at him for putting gum on my school seat, but it turned out he’d seen someone else do it and tried to remove it, I yelled at him for no reason. I felt terrible about it, but he forgave me.”

“No, you hadn’t told me, but that sounds like just his luck” Sophia laughed.

“He does have some awful luck” Mari agreed “but he’s got a big heart. Even when he’s trying to act all grumpy.”

“He does! Oh, you know, when he found out I had no family or other help he offered to pay for someone to help us” Sophia said “I was astounded. No one’s ever offered before. And my family disowned me when they found out I was pregnant so no help there! It’s not like he knows a lot about us either, he just heard we needed help and was ready to do it. I told him it wasn’t needed, I can care for Avery myself, but still…”

Marinette didn’t know he’d done that, and that pride she felt soared higher. It wasn’t exactly a surprise to hear though. He’d always had a soft heart.

“I’m glad he offered, if I’d have known I’d have offered to help too” she admitted, “and I’m sorry about your family.”

“Oh, thank you, but it’s okay. We’re okay. And it was a long time ago…”

“You’ve done a wonderful job though, with Avery I mean. I know I only met him briefly but he seems like a lovely, polite, young man. You must be so proud?”

“I am” Sophia nodded cheerfully “despite his struggles he gets great grades in his classes, and he’s already received some offers from some wonderful music schools. I don’t know where he gets it from, honestly!”

“That’s amazing” Mari grinned, Sophia’s joy proving infectious.

“’ Scuse, miss, but we need to discuss the sign outside the shop now” one of the workmen interrupted.

“Oh, I already designed something-“ Marinette said, searching in her pocket for a moment and pulling out a folded square of paper “-sorry it’s small, I kind of doodled it earlier but I like it. Do you think you could do something like this?”

She held the paper out for the workman, who nodded slowly as he looked it over. Sophia leaned closer so she could see too. “Miraculous?” she asked, reading the sign she had designed.

“Yeah” Mari shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant about it “I design a lot of hero-themed items on my website – you know, scarfs, hoodies, and hats things like that – and they’re some of my biggest sellers. I’ve wanted to design some bigger pieces for a while, so I’m going to debut them in the store as a kind of theme, as well as other designs of course.”

“Ahh” Sophia nodded “clever. People love fan-merch, but I bet you could design some really beautiful pieces based on the miraculous.”

The door of the shop opened suddenly, and the little bell the workmen had already installed above it tinkled. The sound made them all look up, and Mari tried to squash the butterflies in her stomach when she saw it as Adrien who had just walked through the door, dusting snowflakes from his dark wool coat, looking through the workmen in the shop until he spotted Sophia and Marinette in the far corner. She felt like she’d been struck by lightning when his eyes met hers and he didn’t look away. There was something about the way he was looking at her, like he knew something she didn’t, that wasn’t at all helped by the slight smirk lifting one corner of his mouth.

She felt her eyes narrowing. She’d seen that look far too often, usually on Chat Noir, but it wasn’t an unfamiliar occurrence for Adrien to look like this right before he and Nino pulled some stupid prank. What was he up to?

“Ah Mr Agreste, you made it!” Sophia smiled in greeting towards her boss, oblivious to whatever was going through Marinette’s mind besides her.

“Just in time. I apologise, I know you need to leave, but the meeting ran over. Again.”

“It’s no problem, I think Marinette and I did quite well without you” Sophia looked at Marinette, who nodded in agreement.

“We were just discussing the design for the sign outside the store” Mari added, nodding towards the paper the workman still held.

“Should be pretty simple to do” the workman nodded, showing the paper to Adrien for approval “the colours are certainly eye-catching, which is what you want.”

Adrien peered at the design Marinette had made and had to agree with the worker. He had, of course, already been aware she was naming the shop ‘Miraculous’, but he hadn’t seen the sign design yet. It was a fairly simple one, just the word ‘Miraculous’, but the colours Marinette had used for the word and background where a mix of lime green, bright red and black. The colours of Chat Noir and Ladybug. He glanced at Marinette and smirked when he found she’d already been looking at him, sharing the secret behind those decisions with her.

“Is that the last thing you needed to do today?” he asked, glancing between the two women and the workmen.

“We can start work with the decisions that’ve been made” the workman nodded “see if you're happy with the final results, and if not we’ll have plenty of time to change it, sir.”

“I happy with that” Marinette agreed, still not feeling certain on the wall colours she had chosen, but not sure what else it needed right now. Perhaps after seeing it painted she would know.

Sophia excused herself in a hurry anyway, mentioning if hse left any later that she’d be late to fetch her son. The workmen took Adrien around the rooms of the shop to show him the upgrades they had made, as well as Marinette’s chosen colours (he wasn’t at all surprised to find it was mostly shades of pink) before he asked Mari if she was ready to go too.

She was a bit surprised, but agreed, ducking out of the shop door when he held it open for her and leaving the shop full of workmen behind.

“So…” Adrien said as he fell into step beside her on the path. The snow was still falling in slow lazy flakes, and the world seemed hushed, barely a soul around besides themselves. “I was wondering… how would you feel about going on patrol a little early this afternoon?”

“Huh?” Marinette looked at him a bit dumbly “I… wait, are you actually coming on patrol tonight?”

“Yeah, it’s our night” he reminded her, raising an eyebrow “ah, I know I’ve missed a few this last week but that’s why I scheduled my meeting a bit early today. I knew it would run over, I didn’t want to miss it again.”

“Oh” was all she said at first, feeling silly for her earlier worry that he was avoiding her. “Sophia told me you’re having a few problems with people not wanting you to attend the shows when the Spring Line is revealed.”

“Hmm, yeah” he gave a shrug “just one or two pitching a fuss, claiming my presence will bring the wrong kind of press. Happens all the time. They think if they yell and threaten that we’ll listen, but most of the time it’s them who will lose out if they drop our deal. Half the time I don’t even attend anyway.”

“Still… that’s awful.”

“It is what it is,” Adrien told her, stopping to face her in the middle of the street “I can’t change what people think of me if they’re just going to base their assumptions on my father’s crimes, I’ve learned that the hard way. So, how does that early patrol sound? I brought a cookie for Tikki if she needs it?”

Marinette snickered, having felt movement in the bag on her hip as Tikki heard ‘cookie’. “Like I don’t carry cookies around religiously. You want to patrol right now?”

“May as well” he shrugged again, absentmindedly catching a particularly large snowflake that had floated near his face.

She considered him for a second, still sure he was up to something. He still had that look in his eye, and there was a forced feeling to his relaxed posture. But she couldn’t think of any possible reason for it. Perhaps he just really needed to run off some extra energy after his meeting?

She nodded her agreement and he wasted no time grinning and pulling her down an alley after checking to make sure no one was looking. They transformed, and a few seconds later Ladybug and Chat Noir were running across the rooftops.

After a few minutes of random running, grinning fiercely against the cold sting of the snowflakes as they hit her cheeks, she heard him call out “race you to Notre-Dame!”

She laughed, throwing her yoyo as she saw him take off towards the cathedral. Perhaps this is what that look in his eye had been about. He was in the mood to challenge her to race? Well, she better not take it easy on him…

She pumped her legs faster, feeling her calves’ burn, leaping from chimney to rooftop, using her yoyo to cross the wide gaps, and laughing when she overtook him, seeing the cathedral in the distance. She didn’t slow even after she passed him, and didn’t see him overtaking her either. She swung her yoyo and was airborne as she covered the last stretch towards the cathedral, spinning around the ancient spires, to land near a gargoyle they had fondly named ‘stony’ in their youth and used to meet here more frequently.

Panting, but grinning at the exhilaration of the race, she waiting for Chat to join her. He was never usually far behind, so she didn’t expect it to take long before she’d hear boot steps, probably complaining loudly that she’d beaten him. But as her breathing began to steady, he didn’t appear.

She looked around, across the skyline, expecting to spot him approaching, but it was clear. No sign of Chat anywhere.

A bubble of dread appeared in her stomach. What if something had happened to him?

She paced a little, craning her neck to look behind her in case he had tried to sneak up from another direction, but when she still didn’t see him she started to frown and chew on her lip. It wasn’t until she looked back towards the stone gargoyle that she spotted the envelope.

The white envelope was resting on top of the gargoyles head, weighed down by a large stone to stop it blowing away, and she wondered how she hadn’t spotted it before. She retrieved it from under the stone and opened it curiously.

_‘My Lady,_

_I changed my mind. Race you to the Arch!_

_Chat x’_

“Well, that’s just cheating” Ladybug laughed, feeling that bubble of dread in her stomach pop, replaced with relief and amusement as she clenched the letter in her fist and leapt from the cathedral in the direction of the arch.

She expected to arrive on the arch’s flat surface to a smug Chat, probably boasting how he’d beaten her and not at all seeing how leaving her a letter that he changed his mind was cheating as he tried to wind her up. She could see as she approached from the rooftops though, that Chat wasn’t there. The arch was empty, but she did see another envelope, weighed down under a rock. Arching an eyebrow and wondering exactly what it was he was up to, she opened the second envelope.

_‘Still can’t catch me Bugaboo! See you at school!’_

She rolled her eyes. We’ll see what I do when I catch that sneaky cat, she thought, taking off in the direction of their old school. Just like the cathedral and the arch, Chat wasn’t there, but she did find another envelope – though this one took her a bit of searching, she eventually spotted it in a crevice above the large front doors. This one instructed her to go to her old balcony at the bakery. She half expected to find Chat at this one, but again he wasn’t there, and another envelope was resting on the little garden table waiting for her. It instructed her to go the Louvre. She had to prowl the rooftops of the museum for a few minutes before finding another envelope, telling her to go to the Eiffel tower. Her legs were burning with the effort of running across the city, and she decided if Chat wasn’t at the tower, she was going to hang him off the tower when she caught him.

She was sure the muscles in her legs sang with relief when they saw him standing on the top platform of the tower as they approached.

She landed on the platform to his left and caught her breath, seeing the smug grin on his face. “Don’t you dare say you won, sending me all over the city isn’t winning a race! What was this all about anyway?”

Chat didn’t stop grinning and just shrugged “felt like a trip down memory lane is all…”

“Wha-?” she gaped at him “I don’t… I don’t get it?”

He laughed and winked at her “catch me if you can my lady, and I’ll explain everything!”

He jumped from the tower still laughing, especially when he heard her groaning good-naturedly before she followed him.

Ladybug chased him, but didn’t put in a great deal of effort to actually catch him when she realised he was taking them down their agreed patrol route. Besides she was tired, and if they could play his game and do their job at the same time she wasn’t going to argue. And it wasn’t like it wasn’t fun… his laughter was infectious, carefree, and she soon found herself laughing along with him as they ran. Far more preferable to running all over the city on her own.

At the end of their patrol was a flat rooftop of an abandoned warehouse, and she saw her opportunity. Before Chat could pounce someplace else, she whipped out her yoyo, snaring it around his legs and causing him to crash to the floor, only managing to catch himself from falling on his face at the last second.

“There…” she panted when she approached “I… caught you!”

“Nearly broke my nose too” he pointed out, still laughing as he untangled his legs from the yoyo string “but I suppose I deserved it.”

“I had faith in your ability to save yourself,” Ladybug told him, putting her yoyo back on her hip “but I would’ve apologised if you had got hurt… a lot…”

“Aw, would you have kissed it better?” he asked cheekily, stepping close enough that she was forced to crane her neck if she wanted to look up into his face. He was thrilled when her eyes went wide, and her face went almost as red as her suit, but before she could stutter out an answer her took a step back to let her breathe again.

With a nod, he invited her to follow him to a rooftop a few streets away, at a slower pace than before, where they could hear music from the outdoor restaurants below. Ladybug was surprised when she found a blanket had been spread out, and he had a pastry box from her parent’s bakery and a thermos sitting out. She gave him a questioning look, and was surprised when – despite his earlier confidence – he shuffled his feet, his ears twitching, and rubbed the back of his neck. “I… remember when we used to do this when we were kids?”

She grinned and nodded, coming forward to settle on the blanket, tucking her knees under her. He looked pleased, joining her swiftly, and pouring them both some hot chocolate from the thermos. Ladybug took a grateful sip, pleased it was still hot but didn’t scald her tongue.

“So… what were all these about?” she asked after a minute, showing him the letters still clenched in her fist.

“What, you don’t remember?” he asked, tone gentle and teasing, as he took the letters from her hand and shuffled through them. “The school is where we first met – not the best first impression, but I never forgot it. Your balcony is, and I’m guessing you never knew, where I felt the safest as a kid. You made me feel so welcome whenever is topped by as Chat, and the arch is where Ladybug held me when I broke down after my father called me useless, and I realised I had people other than him who cared about me. The Louvre is where Ladybug showed complete faith in me when Paris turned against me when we were dealing with my Copycat. The tower… well, the tower was when I first fell in love with you.”

She gaped at him, half expecting him to laugh and say he was joking, but he was stretched out on the blanket on the rooftop and looking up at her with wide sincere eyes, baring his feelings for her to see. She didn’t know what to say.

He looked away after a moment, directing his gaze towards the night sky. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot actually, and I could have sent you to so many other places. But I didn’t want you running all over the city all night. So I chose the ones that were important to me… the memories that stuck with me. The ones I remembered when things were getting a bit too much” he sighed, and looked at her again “besides, I followed you the whole time you were looking for my letters. I know she hasn’t attacked in a few days but I didn’t want to give Enenra’ a chance to catch you alone again. I’m just as tired as you are, maybe more, I had to put in the extra effort to stay out of your sight!”

She pushed his shoulder playfully and laughed “well I’m glad you’re as tired as I am… not that I don’t appreciate it your little scavenger hunt… I didn’t know those memories were so special to you.”

He shrugged “they’re just the ones that are special to me. Don’t you have any?”

“Of course I do!” she sipped her hot chocolate “the school… your right, as far as first impressions go, it was a poor one. I still feel bad for yelling at you. But… when you gave me your umbrella outside the school. I’ve never forgotten that.”

He grinned but didn’t say anything, just enjoying the memory. He remembered it too of course… how uncertain she’d looked, her eyes wide… he’d thought her eyes were beautiful then too.

“I know when you first told me you loved me!” he said suddenly, propping himself up on his elbows and giving her a sly look.

“What?! When did I-?!”

“On your balcony” he looked very pleased with himself when she gaped at him.

“Oh, you-“she laughed “you know I was just saying that so you didn’t realise I as Ladybug, right?”

“Hmmm, yeah, _but_ you had a huge crush on Adrien then… so _technically_ even though you were speaking to Chat it was true!”

“I- wait, no… argh!” they both laughed, Ladybug falling backwards so she was lying beside him on the blanket now. The snow started to fall again, and as they looked up at the night sky, it looked like the stars were falling towards them. After their chuckles subsided she turned her head to look at him. “So… are you going to actually tell me why you’ve done all this?” she asked quietly. She was sure she could hear their hearts beating, even over the music that drifted from the restaurants below them.

He turned to face her. “Well… Nino said I should make a first date memorable?”

She blinked, stunned, and after a few seconds started giggling. “Did you just… trick me into a first date?”

“Maybe” he rolled onto his side so he was facing her, a teasing grin on his lips “why, would you have said yes if I just asked?”

“Hmm…” she pretended to think about it, tapping a finger to her lips, and making him frown “I don’t know… maybe… depends on my schedule… of course I would have said yes, silly kitty.”

Chat sat up suddenly, smirking “yeah, I was pretty sure you would too, so I didn’t ask. Besides I was pretty sure you’d like this… I asked Alya about it when I had to idea.”

“I should have known she’d get involved somehow…” Ladybug rolled her eyes, but her tone was warm, knowing the redhead only had their best interests at heart.

“Well, she might have knocked some sense into me… not literally, I’m actually surprised about that” he frowned a little as he got to his feet, tail sweeping behind him “And Plagg deserves some credit too. I… was… I am, still terrified, but… I don’t want to lose you either.”

Ladybug sat up, giving him a soft smile “you won’t.”

He returned her soft smile, one of his triangular ears twitching as he listened to something. Bending into a bow, with one arm behind his back, he offered her one of his hands “care for a dance, my lady?”

She said nothing, she didn’t have to, slipping her hand into his own and letting him pull her up. She already knew he was a skilled dancer, it was one of those things Adrien and Chat had in common that made her wonder why she’d never suspected the model to be her partner in the first place, and she let him lead her across the rooftop as she tried hard not to stand on his feet. He must have known what she was doing because she could feel him chuckling before she heard it, his chest vibrating with the sound. After a few minutes, she got the hang of the rhythm he was setting, and stopped stumbling so much, closing her eyes and letting the music below wash over her, feeling his warmth as he held her close, swaying to the beat.

She didn’t know how long they danced, it felt like a lifetime, the moment too perfect to stop. She eventually became aware that they’d stopped moving so much, until he was just holding her, swaying slightly on their feet, his forehead pressed against hers as his breath blew a loose strand of her own hair over her face. She opened her eyes, looking up, and found him already watching her. He seemed hesitant, but a second later he blinked and the expression was replaced with something more resolute and she felt his grip on her waist tighten, her breath quickening as she realised he was leaning in…

And they heard a scream.

Chat’s ears suddenly pricked upon his head and he groaned, never lifting his head from where it rested on Ladybugs, even when she turned away to face the direction of the scream. It hadn’t sounded too far away, and even as she strained to listen in case there were more, she heard the start of the Akuma sirens, and her yoyo beeped – no doubt an incoming message from Rena or Carapace.

Chat shook his head slowly against hers “talk about bad luck…”

“Aww, kitty” she reached up to ruffle his head, and he lifted his head long enough to give her an unamused look.

“Have I told you lately how much I hate Enenra?” He asked.

She laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, with any luck I might actually get this story finished before New Year. 
> 
> Originally I had a lot more place in mind for Chat to send her on his little scavenger hunt but I thought realistically, she's going to be hella tried running over all those rooftops...


	28. Chapter Twenty-Eight

Adrien whistled to himself as he re-shelved the heavy black folder he’d been working on that afternoon and grinned. He didn’t have a particular reason to grin, he just felt like it. Ever since he’d woken up this morning he’d felt a little more light-hearted than he usually did, and it showed.

“You’re in a good mood” Plagg muttered as Adrien moved past his shelf, pausing to scratch the kwami behind his tiny ear with one finger, eliciting a small purr from the tiny god.

He shrugged at Plagg, who for once didn’t say anything more, probably because they both knew the reason for his good mood was his ‘date’ with Ladybug last night. Sure it hadn’t ended quite as he’d hoped, Enenra’s attack had certainly put a damper on things, but it wasn’t like it had ended terribly either. He was pretty sure that if they hadn’t been interrupted she would have let him kiss her again. How badly he wanted to! He could still remember how soft her lips had been when he kissed her after the wedding…

He’d been ridiculously nervous for the date all week, so this change in his mood probably pleased Plagg to no end, another reason he likely didn’t say anything. It didn’t help him at all when everything else in his life seemed to get in the way and he was unable to spend any actual time with Marinette, before the date the only times he saw her where when he’d patrol near her place to check she was alright, or hanging out with Nino and Alya. Not seeing her had just made him more nervous. What if she’d changed her mind while they were apart and didn’t actually want to date him?

It was part of why he’d decided to send her on a little scavenger hunt, visiting these places that held precious memories to him, trying to show her in few words just how important she was to his life – both in the past and present. Since he’d had to swap his patrol days with Rena, he’d had a lot of time to discuss with Carapace the different places to send her on the scavenger hunt. He imagined the turtle hero – despite being his best friend – was probably sick of hearing all his stories about Marinette, but he’d encouraged the idea. Rena was the one who had the idea to bring her to a rooftop picnic afterwards, after he’d mentioned how Ladybug would set up picnics after a patrol when she knew he was having a particularly difficult time at home. He’d loved the idea.

After the attack last night he’d walked Marinette home, since she’d been forced to de-transform and Tikki was exhausted from their date and the battle. Plagg had been grouchy about it too when he de-transformed and he’d felt a little bad about it. He wasn’t able to feel too bad though, not when Marinette had tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow and leaned on him tiredly as they walked the snowy streets on the way to her apartment. She’d invited him up, but he declined, not wanting to keep her up too late and watch her exhaust herself again. She smiled when he’d told her that, reaching up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, and said goodnight.

He felt that was a good sign. She had liked the date, even if it ended fighting a giant shadow monster… he wondered how long he should wait before asking her on another? Was tonight too soon? It wasn’t their patrol night, so he could take her out to a real restaurant on a real date!

A knock on his office door brought him back to the real world. “Enter!”

“Um, Mr Agreste, sir” Sophia peered inside, tilting her head “I just wanted to let you know I was about to leave. Is there anything else you need before I go?”

Adrien glanced at the clock. Honestly, he hadn’t realised it was that time already, and he paused for a moment as the thought, before shaking his head. “No it’s fine, I was just about to leave early myself. I don’t have any meetings scheduled that I’m forgetting do I?”

“Um, no, but that designer was trying to call you again earlier, I told her to call back later…”

“Ahh” Adrien sighed, feeling his shoulders sag, he knew exactly which designer Sophia was talking about. The woman who kept constantly asking ‘do you even know who I am?’ he’d told his friends about her and found out Marinette and Alya had already met her in the market and she’d asked them the same thing. “Well, that’s just all the more reason to leave early I think!”

Sophia snickered, saying nothing but obviously agreeing with him, and retreated back out his office shutting the door behind him again.

“Sneaking out of work early to go and see your girlfriend?” Plagg teased, watching his chosen pull on his wool coat and floating closer to hide in one of the pockets.

“Yep, probably” Adrien responded without hesitation, feeling his grin return. A few seconds later he was locking the door to his office and heading for the elevator.

He met Sophia there, already waiting. Down the hall in his office, he heard the phone start to ring, and they shared a look before they both chuckled. The elevator arrived at their floor and they both hopped on, joining two other people who shuffled around to give them room.

Adrien waited absentmindedly as the elevator descended, stopping on every other floor to let other occupants in or out, and let his mind wander. He wondered if Marinette had eaten anything yet? She’s said she was going to spend the day working of some pieces for when the shop opened, so he doubted it. He’d be somewhat impressed if she’d remembered to eat lunch, to be honest, and he’d probably have to pry her away from her work if he wanted to take her out to dinner – not that he minded, it was a task he was very much up for.

“Um… I just wanted to thank you” Sophia’s voice broke him from his thoughts as he looked at her, and realised they were the last ones in the elevator. She was wringing her fingers as she spoke, but sounded determined “thank you for letting me have time off with my son. I mean, without losing my job, it was a great peace of mind to have. And offering to help. You’re a good person.”

“Oh…” Adrien didn’t really know how to respond. “Um, it’s no problem. Really. I’m glad he’s feeling better… ah, he is feeling better right?” he asked, when he saw the look on Sophia’s face.

“For now” was all she said, giving him a forced smile as the elevators dinged and opened onto the ground floor. They moved together towards the exit as she explained “he’s been sick since he was a small child, we knew… we knew it was going to get harder. It’s a rare condition you see…”

“Ahh” Adrien nodded sympathetically “I’m sorry. Please, let me know if there’s anything I can do for you both.”

“It's fine, really, we can handle ourselves. But thank you.”

They exited the building together into the downpour that they both seemed to have been oblivious to until that moment. Adrien wondered when the snow had stopped, as he felt the heavy drops weigh down his hair as it began to fall into his eyes. Sophia was pulling the hood of her yellow coat up, when a car sped by suddenly, running straight through a puddle on the side of the road and drenching them both in frigid water.

They both gasped, shocked at the sudden sensation, and Sophia dropped her purse. Adrien started laughing after a moment. Of all the times the black cat’s bad luck had hit him with something unexpected, he had to be splashed with a dirty puddle right before fetching Marinette for a dinner date…

Maybe he should just grab take out on his way to hers.

Beside him, Sophia didn’t seem as amused. “Why are you laughing, we’re soaked!” she asked incredulously, lifting her long blue skirt to demonstrate how sodden the fabric now was.

Adrien was still chuckling even as she did so, bending down to scoop up her dropped purse, while she gathering a bunch of her skirt fabric and trying to twist the puddle water from it. He glanced towards the few droplets of water she managed to squeeze from the fabric as they fell, which was when he saw her leg, and felt his stomach drop.

The marks there didn’t look like any scar he’d seen on anyone else, five long marks stretching their way around her calf, the skin around them grey and discoloured. But he recognised it. After all, he was the one who wielded ‘Cataclysm’, he knew what its effects looked like.

“Ah, well, at least I can hail a cab to the school,” Sophia said, oblivious to his turmoil, as a cab pulled up in front of them, taking the purse he was holding back as he stood abruptly “is there anywhere you need to be, sir, I’d be happy to share?”

“Um, n-no it’s… fine…” he strained to reply through clenched teeth, swallowing about the sudden pain he felt behind his eyes. He glanced towards her wrist, and saw just under her coat sleeve, a gold bangle he’d seen her wearing many times before, a deep purple jewel embedded on the front, and remembered his father’s warning about a bracelet when he’d visited.

Sophia didn’t seem to notice the change in his tone, giving him a cheerful goodbye and a wave through the cab window as she disappeared. He watched her go, too stunned to move, until the cab was out of sight. He didn’t know how long he stood there, seconds, minutes, but he didn’t move again until someone on the street bumped into him. He had to force his feet to move, and every step seemed to send a bucket of ice down his spine and hot pokers through his skull, nausea rolling over him in heavy waves until he could reach the privacy of a nearby ally and collapsed behind a large bin against the wall.

Plagg flew out of his pocket looking shocked. “Adrien? Kid? What’s wrong? Talk to me!”

Adrien couldn’t answer him. His mind felt torn. He knew who Enenra was, he should be chasing after her, he should hunt her down, and he should make her pay for everything she’d done to this city, to his friends, to Ladybug! He’d let her go! Why had he let her go? He knew why. Because she was _Sophia_. She was sweet, helpful, kind Sophia. _How_ could she be Enenra?

Plagg was still fretting over him, not speaking, his he was using his little paws to try and move Adrien’s soaked hair from his eyes and get a good look at him. He didn’t even argue when Adrien managed to gasp “claw’s out!” and transformed. He knew where he needed to go.

His whole body hurt, and he stopped twice on rooftops to be sick, but he made it to Marinette’s apartment. He at least had enough sense to make sure no one was about to see before he crashed into the fire escape on the side of her building, pulling himself through her open kitchen window, and landing in an ungraceful, wet, heap on the floor. He didn’t care. He clutched his head as it kept throbbing and just tried not to whimper.

Marinette had, of course, been startled rather badly by the loud noise of something crashing against the fire escape, and then again in her kitchen, abandoning her work and dashing into the room so fast her sock covered feet slid against the tile when she tried to stop after seeing Chat Noir curled in the foetal position on her floor, clutching his head, a puddle of rainwater forming underneath him.

“Oh my god-“she gasped, diving onto her knees beside him and trying smoothing his hair from his voice. He opened his eyes when she touched him, looking grateful, but still in pain. “-Chat what happened? Are you hurt? I mean of course- ah, where are you hurt? What’s wrong?”

She was dimly aware of Tikki hovering beside her, just as concerned, as his ring beeped without his summons and Plagg transformed him right there on her kitchen floor. The cat kwami joined Tikki floating near her shoulder looking just as worried, and shaking his head that no, he didn’t know what was going on, when they gave him a questioning look.

It took what felt like hours to Chat before the pain in his head stopped sending tremors across his entire body and he was able to relax a little, but they told him later it was only about fifteen minutes, during which time Marinette never left his side, stroking his hair and making soothing noises. Plagg and Tikki eventually sat on her shoulder, he was aware of Plagg watching him with his ears folded back and worry clear on his face, while Tikki patted his shoulder. Marinette paid attention to the way his body stopped trembling, the tension leaving his muscles, and his breathing evening out.

“I’m going to get you some water,” she told him quietly as she smoothed his hair one last time “I’ll just be a moment.”

She didn’t go far, since he had collapsed on her kitchen floor, but he still missed her warmth when she stood up and moved away to grab him a glass. He was vaguely aware of her pouring something, but he was too busy trying to pull himself back up from the floor. His clothes were soaked, though he wasn’t sure if it was from the puddle earlier or lying in the water he’d dripped onto her floor, nor was he sure if the shivers down his spine had to do with what he knew or the cold he felt settling in his bones.

He felt warmth at his side again as Marinette re-joined him, leaning close, offering him the glass of water. Suddenly aware of how badly his throat hurt, like he’d been yelling himself hoarse for a few hours, he accepted the water gratefully and downed the entire glass in a few gulps.

Mari watched him worriedly. She couldn’t see any physical injury, and he’d seemed fine when they parted last night…

Adrien wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and took a shaky breath. “Sophia is Enenra.”

Marinette was sure she misheard him “wh-what?”

“Sophia” Adrien leaned his head back against the kitchen cupboard and faced her “she’s Enenra. Sophia… is Enenra.” The more he repeated it, the more he felt the truth of the matter settle in his mind. Much like it had when he discovered his father was Hawkmoth. She was the cause of so much hurt in the city, to his friends, to himself. It didn’t matter who she was to him in her civilian life. It didn’t.

It couldn’t.

“I… I… are you sure? How do you know?” Marinette sounded lost, and he knew she must have been thinking the same as he did. How could sweet, gentle, Sophia be the same villain who had nearly killed her multiple times? How could she be this woman filled with nothing but hate and rage?

“I’m sure,” he said it so quietly it was almost a whisper “I saw the mark on her leg. It’s healed, but… it looks like Cataclysm. Nothing else could have caused it!”

“It should have destroyed her” Plagg spoke up suddenly, sounding bitter, and they glanced up from the floor towards the kitchen counter where he and Tikki were sitting “if she was anyone else it probably would have, and we wouldn’t even have this problem! Stupid Scorpion, probably treated the effects of cataclysm as a poison and was able to neutralise it.”

“Yes… but we _don’t want_ to destroy people” Tikki reminded gently.

“I’m a god of destruction, Sugarcube” Plagg reminded her, almost irritated.

“And how has that attitude worked out for you and your previous Chat Noirs in the past?” Tikki huffed, folding her arms “or worse, for my Ladybugs?”

Plagg snorted, but didn’t argue.

But the exchange had raised a question in Marinette’s head, and she glanced towards Adrien to find him watching the kwami’s too. “Do you agree with him?” she asked quietly “do you… I mean, is that what you want to do about Enenra? … Destroy her?”

Adrien looked at the floor “if you had asked me… I _wanted_ to. When she hurt you, I didn’t think before I called Cataclysm, I could have then. I don’t know I would have felt about it. Part of me still wants to, if she was anyone else I would have said there was no other possible solution to some so angry. But I would never do anything that would put you, or anyone else, at risk.”

Marinette wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about his answer, partially because she could understand it. While her instinct usually screamed that everyone can be saved, a second chance can be given, there were exceptions to this and she knew from experience. As of yet though she hadn’t been forced to harm anyone, but she wondered if her view would change if it had been Chat Noir that Enenra had gone after that night, and not her.

“I don’t… I can’t believe it” she mumbled “Sophia?! She’s just so… _nice_.”

“I know” Adrien snorted bitterly “at least my father was an arsehole on both sides of the mask. Made it a little easier to swallow that truth.”

Mari leaned on him a little “no it didn’t.”

He sighed heavily “no… it wasn’t. But it’s true. He wasn’t a nice man.”

Marinette didn’t disagree with him there, Gabriel had a cold reputation after all, but she knew that for all his faults the man did care for his son, he just had a twisted way of showing it sometimes. Sophia though seemed to have no problem being a warm and happy person. Why was she so different as Enenra? What happened to make her this way, to make her hate other miraculous holders, to hate the guardians? She wished Master Fu was here. He knew the story.

But without the old man to fill in their missing puzzle piece, they could only guess. Marinette briefly wondered if it had something to do with her son… but pushed the thought to the side. It didn’t matter. What mattered was stopping her.

“Your one-hundred-per cent sure it’s Sophia?” she asked again.

“Yes!” Adrien didn’t quite snap at her, but there was a bit of bite to his voice when she questioned him again “even if I wasn’t sure about the injury on her leg, I’d think my reaction there was a big clue of the magic disguising her identity breaking, don’t you think?”

Marinette sighed, half nodding as she stood from the floor. He watched her, feeling guilty for his tone, but didn’t say anything as she snatched her phone from the nearby countertop and after tapping the screen a few times put it to her ear.

He heard Alya answer after a few rings.

“Hey, Alya, can you and Nino come over to my apartment please?” Marinette asked. He heard Alya talking, but he wasn’t quite able to hear the words, so he only caught Mari’s side of their conversation. “Alya, I know you and Nino have plans, but trust me, I need you to come over. We have a lead on Enenra.”

****

Alya and Nino had come to Marinette’s apartment within a half-hour of her calling them, pushing their dinner plans aside to handle the new information about Enenra. When Adrien had told them what he’d discovered, Alya hadn’t seemed that all surprised, only saying that she didn’t think anyone could truly be as sweet as Sophia came across. Nino, who had only met Sophia the once, was shocked but believed Adrien readily.

Now that they knew Sophia was Enenra, the map of attacks Alya had been working on suddenly made a lot more sense. They didn’t focus around the neighbourhood where Adrien knew Sophia lived, or around his office where she worked, but the most recent attacks did cluster in the area around the school he knew her son attended. Far enough away for the school not to have been suspicious to them, but close enough they could see the convenience she probably had.

They made a plan, after discussing how best to approach the situation now they knew the identity behind the scorpion miraculous. Aly and Adrien both wanted to confront Sophia immediately, launch an attack on her home when she didn’t expect it and prevent another attack. Nino was the one to remind them, before Marinette could, that launching an attack on Sophia’s home could put her teenage son in danger – especially if the boy tried to protect her. They’d suggested ways to distract her son or waiting for him to leave the house, perhaps even having the police help them and having them get Avery out of the house, but Marinette shut it down. She deemed the risk too great, if Enenra felt trapped and like her son was in danger she had no problem imagining – even if she was Sophia underneath – her fighting to the death to protect him, or fighting till someone else was dead. She wanted to minimise casualties, and after outlining her concerns, Alya and Adrien did eventually agree. Alya also suggested having Adrien lure her somewhere, as her boss he could do it she theorised, but couldn’t think of a place suitable enough. Adrien said nothing.

Nino thought it was a better idea to let Enenra/Sophia continue to believe they had no idea who she was, and confront her after catching her in the act of an attack. This way they not only had evidence it was her (though he reassured he wasn’t calling Adrien a liar) but could hopefully strike while her kwami was tired after a transformation and unable to help her fight back. Marinette liked this idea best, but despite the other three agreeing on it as well she insisted they thought of a few more ideas in case anything went wrong.

At some point, probably after witnessing Mari passing a bottle of painkillers to Adrien for his persisting headache, Alya became curious about why Adrien had developed symptoms after breaking the magic but the rest of them had not. Wyazz, sitting in the lampshade above them with Trixx, Tikki and Plagg, was the one who explained that Alya, Marinette and Nino hadn’t broken the magic – not like Adrien had – and while they would probably still feel sick or get a headache when they finally saw themselves that Sophia was Enenra, they still wouldn’t have as violent a reaction as Adrien had. Much like when Alya revealed she and Nino where miraculous holders to Marinette, compared to when she’d realised Adrien was Chat.

Nino and Alya had decided to leave shortly after, since it was their night for a patrol after all, and Alya had commented that she almost hoped for an attack that night so they could finish this for good. Marinette only half-heartedly agreed, casting a glance towards a rather ashen looking Adrien who seemed immobile on her sofa. Their friends left, and she took a really good look at him. She’d given him a bottle of painkillers while they were talking, but she hadn’t seen him take any, and from the way, he squinted whenever he turned towards the lamplight she suspected he was still in pain. He’d also not touched the towel she’d offered him, sitting rigidly in his still damp work suit, hair a mess from the rain and repeatedly running his hand through it.

Chewing on her lip, she asked “Adrien?”

He looked towards her slowly, blinking, but didn’t say a word.

“This is going to sound like a stupid question but… are you okay?”

There was a moment of silence before he replied.

“I’m fine,” he told her in an empty voice, glancing away at nothing in particular again.

She frowned, he was obviously not okay, and after glancing towards Plagg and Tikki for encouragement (finding the pair on one of the shelves, Tikki giving her a nod while holding her paw over Plagg’s mouth so he couldn’t say anything, which he rolled his eyes at) she took a step towards him. “Adrien… you don’t need to pretend your fine with this. Talk to me.”

He looked back around, and for a moment she could see him hesitate. His eyes looked torn, and he half-opened and shut his mouth before his expression twisted into an unpleasant snarl and he stood up, pacing suddenly, looking very much like Chat did when he was angry – the only things missing where the ears lying flat in his hair and the tail lashing wildly behind him. Still, she waited patiently for him to speak.

“I didn’t see it” he muttered after a few moments of his pacing, his voice filled with frustration. “Our ‘bad guy’ was right under my nose, _again_ , and I didn’t see it. It’s my father all over again. How can I call myself a hero when I’m so oblivious I can allow these people to get so close to me and never see it, never even _suspect_ it?!”

Ahh, Marinette began to understand why he’d gone quiet during their talk with Alya and Nino. It had been right after Nino had made a comment like ‘bad luck dude’ to try and bring some light to the situation. Apparently, it had the opposite effect.

“It’s not your fault Adrien-“

“-no, it’s theirs! I’m just a _fool_!” he snarled.

“You are _not_ a fool” she frowned, stepping closer and stopping his pacing by placing a hand on his chest. Beneath her hand, she could feel his damp clothes, as well as the way tremors still shook him every once in a while, but it had the desired effect of holding him still for a moment. “It’s not foolish to believe people can be good… and your right, if they let you down, that’s _their_ fault. _Not_ yours.”

“… how am I supposed to believe the good in people when they prove me so wrong?”

“Think of it this way, has Nino ever proved you wrong?” she asked gently “or Alya? Or me? How about Kim or Max? Any of our old school friends?”

Adrien shook his head slowly, and his hand came up to cover hers that still laid on his chest, warming him even through his damp clothes “no, you haven’t… though, sometimes I think I expect too much from Chloe…”

Mari snorted, and decided that if he was able to make a joke about Chloe he was likely going to be okay. “Perhaps, but still… she loves you. We all love you. Please don’t forget that. We’re good people, we might do stupid things, but you need to believe we’re out there because we won’t stop believing in you too.”

He seemed to be thinking on what she said, rubbing his thumb over her hand on his chest thoughtfully, and Marinette wondered if he’d find a way to argue with what she said. Truly, she couldn’t quite believe his awful luck herself. True, she didn’t know if he and Sophia were quite close enough to be considered friends, but she knew he cared about her the same way he cared for a lot of his employees, so for Hawkmoth to be his father and Enenra to be his assistant? She wasn’t surprised he was having difficulty with it. Nor did she want to consider the feelings it might be reawakening in him.

“I think… maybe you should stay here tonight?” she suggested out loud, not quite realising for a second that the words had come out of her mouth at the same time they’d appeared in her brain, until she saw his expression.

Adrien had gone from pensive to surprised, before a sly grin started to pull at his lips.

“Oh don’t give me that look” she snickered, removing her hand from his chest to swat his shoulder instead “I meant just stay… sleepover! I don’t want you to be alone tonight and, oh my lord, get your mind out of the gutter Agreste!”

Adrien laughed out loud now, catching her hand when she tried to give his shoulder a playful slap again, and tugging lightly to unbalance her for a moment. It worked, and she stumbled into his chest, blinking in surprise when she was forced to crane her neck to look into his face.

“I would love to stay the night… even if it is just a ‘you-shouldn’t-be-alone-tonight’ sleepover” he grinned, his thoughts of Sophia, Enenra, and even his father, leaving his mind when he saw the way she bit her lip and blushed.

“Alright… good. Well. First thing, you _need_ to get out of these damp clothes.”

Adrien’s smirk returned and he raised an eyebrow “Freudian slip there, my lady?”

Mari sighed and rubbed her forehead, taking a step away from him “no, my brain is just… fried. But you do need to change before you get a cold. Go and take a hot shower, there are clean towels on the back of the door, and I’ll find some dry things for you.”

He didn’t say anything more, not even to tease her, because he knew what she meant. He felt both exhausted, and alert. He knew it was just his response to finding out Enenra was someone so close to him. Someone he would have never suspected. He followed Marinette’s instructions, since a hot shower did sound good, and when he got out he found she’d slipped some clean grey sweatpants and a white jumper through the door. She’d probably found the largest things she owned for him to borrow, but still, the pants ended somewhere around his mid-calf, and the jumper sleeves didn’t quite reach his wrist, though it was at least long enough to cover his stomach.

When he came out of the bathroom, Plagg pointed and laughed at his exposed feet, alerting Marinette to his reappearance. She had obviously changed into her pyjamas while he was in the bathroom, now wearing soft-looking pink-plaid trousers and a pink tank top. She was walking out of her bedroom with the biggest, fluffiest, blanket she owned, and glanced towards his exposed legs with a hardly concealed grin.

“Darn, those were the biggest pants I had. Do you want some socks?”

“I’m fine. Are we going to share that blanket?” he asked, watching as she draped it over the sofa. He noticed the huge bowl of popcorn sitting on the table too.

“Sure. I mean… you made a date out of our patrol last night, and I know this isn’t as creative, but you look like you could do with being distracted tonight so… well… uh – sleep-over-movie-date?” her voice had gone high pitched by the time she finished explaining to him, rubbing her arm awkwardly with the opposite hand, and looking anywhere but at him.

Adrien blinked for a second. It felt like so long ago that he’d intended to take her on a dinner date it had confused his mind for a moment to remember it was actually just a few hours ago. Still, seeing how nervous she clearly felt about it, he couldn’t help tease her a little.

“Depends… how are you going to ‘distract’ me tonight?”

She caught on to his motive quickly, and all signs of her anxiety suddenly vanished as she chucked one of her couch cushions at him. “What did I tell you about getting your mind out of the gutter?”

“Ah, ah!” he shook his head, barely concealing his grin as he stepped close enough to invade her personal space, doing his best to ignore the way her chest brushed lightly against his own, “I only asked how you’re going to distract me… I could have meant what movie you’re planning to have us watch. I don’t think my minds the only one in the gutter, hmmm, Bugaboo?”

She froze for a moment, trying to work out what he was doing, but after a few seconds she rolled her eyes at him “I’d believe Plagg hates cheese before I’d believe you didn’t totally mean to make that an innuendo.”

Plagg started cackling somewhere on one of her shelves and Adrien gave her an affronted look, which soon vanished into a grin when she pushed him towards the couch. He grabbed her arm, pulling her down with him, and they landed on the sofa cushions, laughing as he pulled her on to his lap, her knees resting on either side of his thighs.

“What are you even doing?” she laughed as he leaned up to rest their foreheads together.

“Distracting myself” he murmured, watching her. Even with his head resting against her own his view half-obscured, she had the most beautiful smile. Her whole face lit up with the expression, her bluebell eyes sparkled, her cheeks dusted red. He loved it. If he could make sure she only ever smiled, he would.

She was still laughing even as she felt Adrien’s hands start to wander from where they had fallen at her hips when she’d landed on him. Only light touches, with the tips of his fingers, trailing up her sides, up her back, her shoulder blades, down her arms… she felt her skin erupt in goosebumps under the light touch. She wondered if he was even aware of what he was doing, since he never stopped staring at her face the entire time.

His eyes flicked towards her mouth, and that was the only warning she had before his hands returned to her waist and tightened their hold, and he surged forwards, pressing his mouth against her hungrily.

She squeaked with the shock of his sudden kiss, but didn’t push him away. He laughed at her noise, never breaking the kiss, his chest rumbling almost like a purr, especially when her hands found their way from his shoulders and into his hair, tugging lightly there.

It wasn’t like any other kiss either of them could remember, including their previous kisses. This one – after the initial surprise – was soft, but firm. It wasn’t rough, it wasn’t a battle for dominance between them both, it was a union. They knew what the other wanted without even thinking about it. It was like they shared a breath, or a heartbeat, every time their lips met.

After a few minutes of their lungs screaming at them both to take a breath, they parted, breathing heavily. Marinette slid off of Adrien’s lap to sit beside him, ignoring the part of her that really wanted to stay in his lap and explore what happened there, and he draped an arm over her shoulder to tuck her up against him.

“Um… wow. So, distracted yet?” she asked after a few minutes of silence passed and she couldn’t bear it anymore.

Adrien laughed softly “that’s one word for it, yes… I just thought, well, we never got to kiss after our date yesterday. I don’t want to end this one and still not have kissed you.”

“Ah, a pre-emptive kiss. I like it” she nodded “well planned. I encourage you to do it more often if you like.”

“Oh, I’ll keep that in mind” he grinned, pulling the large fluffy blanket up and over them both. “So, this was your idea, what movie should we watch?”

“I don’t know, should we see what Netflix has out?”

“Sounds perfect” he agreed, handing her the remote as he grabbed the bowl of popcorn from the table.

Despite his earlier attitude, with Marinette tucked up beside him and his lips still tingling, he hoped there was no attack tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I totally binge-watched all of The Owl House while writing this chapter. Awesome if you haven't seen it. 
> 
> So, yes, Sophia is Enenra. I - obviously- knew this from the start but I really enjoyed watching the comments as people figured it out. I wasn't subtle to be fair haha. I did enjoy throwing the red-herring of the limping woman in the supermarket just to make people go 'wait hang on?' but she was actually based on a woman who'd annoyed me earlier that day when I was writing that chapter xD 
> 
> You might also notice I have updated how many chapters this story will have. That's right, we're nearly at the end. So, I might actually save up the last concluding chapters and publish them all together as a Christmas gift to you all. That's my gift - no cliffhangers!


	29. Chapter Twenty-Nine

Three days passed before they could exact their plan.

Three impossibly long and torturous days for the four of them, waiting on the edge of their seats for Enenra to attack again. Each of them had felt the strain as they waiting, their mounting anticipation building into frustrated impatience, trying their best to remain normal. It was hardest for Adrien, Marinette knew, who was forced to work closely with Sophia all the while knowing her identity as Enenra, and still do nothing.

To ease his frustration he’d avoided going into his office for much of those three days. He thought it was best, not quite trusting his temper and determined to hide from Sophia that he knew her identity. When he had briefly needed to go to the office, he had taken Nino or Marinette with him. Someone, anyone, to distract him. Though Nino had agreed it was likely best not to take Alya with him, considering her temper was as quick as Adrien’s could be.

The toll it had on Adrien wasn’t ignored by his friends either, and they worried for him. Though he’d seemed to cheer up a bit when he spent the night at Mari’s watching films after discovering Enenra’s identity, nothing seemed able to move the invisible storm cloud that hovered over him. He was smiling less, and when he did, it was more often than not that fake-model smile he’d long mastered in his youth. He didn’t laugh when Nino told poor jokes that had Alya groaning, and didn’t respond half the time when Marinette tried to tease him, even if she flirted. It was like he had retreated back into the shell he had been before Christmas, and Marinette felt her heartache to watch it so obviously affected him.

But they were there for him, his friends, and they were determined to show him this now that they had the opportunity. Over the three days Adrien was rarely ever alone, Nino, Alya and Marinette would simply show up if he was. He didn’t mind, he felt his head could use the distraction, not wanting to let his thoughts linger too long on what was going on. It didn’t always work of course, and occasionally found himself wondering how he could be blind and stupid not to have seen through Sophia, to see that she was Enenra. Whenever this happened he tried to remind himself, as Marinette told him, to look for his friends. To watch Nino laughing at some ridiculous joke he’d just told, while Alya rolled her eyes and pursed her lips to try to suppress a grin that would no doubt encourage him. To Marinette, openly grinning at the poor joke, a pencil tucked behind her ear and a sketchpad on her lap, and he’d feel his heart lighten at the mere sight.

He was doing something else to comfort himself too, but Marinette wasn’t sure if Adrien was actually aware he was doing it. Oh, she’d noticed the dark expression that would tarnish his beautiful face on occasion, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out what was bothering him. She’d noticed though, when these looks overtook him, that he would reach out for her. He’d hook his ankle around hers while they sat together, or throw an arm around her shoulders, his hand coming up to play with strands of her hair, leaning into her until their bodies pressed together, resting a hand on her knee, even his leather tail wrapping around her calf while they were on patrol. They were innocent touches, but frequent, and she knew from a few pointed looks that Alya and Nino had noticed them too – but she hadn’t told them anything. Technically, she knew, she and Adrien hadn’t said anything about officially ‘dating’ and she didn’t want to jump the gun and tell their friends they were something if they weren’t – or put any kind of pressure on Adrien to make that decision, especially now. At the minute she was happy to just be there for him, and if that occasionally meant getting to kiss him… well who was she to argue?

Adrien was at her apartment when they got the alert about the new attack. He hadn’t been sleeping well (she wondered if this didn’t have something to do with the fact he kept falling asleep on her sofa, which was comfortable, but no replacement for a real bed) so while he had started off trying to catch up on his emails from work, he had soon started to doze with his head resting on her shoulder. She didn’t mind, keeping as still as possible while sketching out some new designs, and almost cursed when she heard the sirens start blaring in the distance, at around the same time her phone lit up with a text from Alya with the location of the attack.

He must not have been dozing as deeply as she thought he had, because Adrien sat up sharply, listening to the sirens with a bleary-eyed expression until Plagg floated over from the kitchen and landed wordlessly on his shoulder. Tikki flew up to the side of Marinette’s face wearing a determined expression and rested a paw on her chosen’s cheek, asking “are you ready Marinette?”

Marinette didn’t give Tikki a verbal response, exchanging a glance with her kwami instead and giving a single sharp nod before calling for her transformation. Adrien followed suit, and after making sure they wouldn’t be seen, they both left through the window of her spare bedroom.

Wordlessly they raced over the rooftops to the site of the attack, making sure to keep out of sight, until they spotted a body in green waving at them behind a chimney. Turning away from the shadowy Yokai currently ripping up trees in the park it seemed keen to destroy, they joined Carapace in the shadows safely hidden from the carnage.

Rena was hidden here too, but she couldn’t greet them as they arrived, her flute pressed resolutely against her lips as she played it with a fierce scowl, a mixture of concentration and determination across her face. She had practised over the years to hold her mirage for longer, but if ever a time came that they couldn’t let it fail, now was it. Peering around towards the park Ladybug could see the mirage-heroes, fake versions of herself, Chat, Rena and Carapace, distracting the Yokai, while they hid.

“Alright” Ladybug breathed, seeing the first part of their plan was working as they hoped “we’ve gone over this, you know what to do. Stay out of sight, try to find where Enenra’s hiding. Do not engage her alone, if you find her, call the rest of us, understand?”

Carapace and Chat, who would be helping her search while Rena kept up the mirage, both nodded, wearing matching looks of determination. Ladybug nodded too, and made to move out of the hiding spot, pausing only when she felt a hand close over her wrist and the growing familiar sensation of a leather tail wrapping around her leg, just under the knee.

Looking back she found Chat giving her a hard look, “be careful” he warned, almost pleadingly.

Feeling her heartbeat against her chest – and well aware that Rena was watching this with a smirk while she continued playing her flute – Ladybug stepped closer to Chat, pressing a chaste kiss to the corner of his lips and muttered “you too” before leaving the hiding spot, sticking to the shadows.

They didn’t have a lot of time to search for Enenra before Rena would be forced to let the mirage end and de-transform. When they had planned for this and asked Trixx how long the kwami thought Rena could hold the mirage she’d estimated fifteen to twenty minutes. This was why they’d agreed that she, Carapace and Chat would split up to search, despite the fact, Chat had been adamantly against it at first. She knew why he was concerned, when they’d argued, his eyes lingering just a second too long on her torn ear, but they needed to do this.

In the shadows, unseen, Ladybug searched every nook and cranny, every deserted attic, every possible hiding place she thought Enenra could be. They were still confident she’d remain close by, she would need to in case the opportunity arose for her to steal their miraculous, which was why they were searching for her during the attack rather than just attacking her as Sophia outright. Catching someone with their hand in the cookie jar was far more incriminating than anything else, Nino had said, while Alya and Adrien had wanted to go after her immediately.

But there was a sinking feeling her gut as more time passed and they hadn’t found her. Could they be wrong, and she infected her victims and left? Maybe she didn’t need to linger, and had some other way of getting the miraculous from them?

A crash, the groaning of metal, and screaming on her left distracted her and trusting her gut, Ladybug started to head back towards where the Yokai was attacking. When she reached the park again she found a metal billboard sign was in the pond, and Rena Rogue was lying on the floor nearby. She paused to glance around for a moment, realising there was no more illusion of herself, or Chat or Carapace, guessing that mirage had run out. She left her cover to dive to Rena’s side as the fox hero was trying to get up.

“’bout time someone else got here” Rena coughed, gratefully leaning on Ladybug as she helped her to stand again “mirage ran out ten minutes ago, I fed Trixx and tried to get its attention but I didn’t fancy getting slapped with a billboard.”

“Good call” Ladybug muttered, glancing at the billboard again. Even with her miraculous cure, she wasn’t sure Rena would have come out of the fight without serious injury if she had taken the hit full on. “You good, if you need to rest…?”

“No, I’m okay” Rena waved her off “I just got sideswiped when it threw the billboard. I’m good. Come on, let’s rescue the victim while the boys keep looking.”

Together they made a plan, with Rena distracting the Yokai and Ladybug on one of the nearby rooftops ready to rescue the victim. They still hadn’t heard anything from the boys, so she assumed they were still searching for Enenra, and tried not to worry about it much as Rena lured the Yokai towards the fair that had been set up in the park. The plan was for Ladybug to rescue the victim and land on the large Ferris wheel, since there was no other tall structure in the park for them to land on, it was the only viable option that didn’t seem like it was going to cause a low of damage to the victim, though it was still just as dangerous. She knew, one slip up, and they would both be freefalling to the ground.

Her nerves fluttered when she saw Rena give her the signal, but didn’t hesitate, taking a run-up before diving over the edge of the building, her arms outstretched in front of her as she flew through the smoky back of the Yokai, oblivious to her presence, and wrapped her arms around the young woman possessed at its centre, dragging her out of the smoky chest as they fell together. They landed on the cold metal pole of the with a heavy clang, and Ladybug was forced to hug the possessed lady with her whole body so she could use both hands to grip the metal, feeling the white paint peeling under her grip, in a desperate attempt to stop them falling – but she could feel them sliding slowly, the metal pole not providing enough friction to keep her grip properly, and she briefly wondered if she could hold them up long enough with one hand to retrieve her yoyo from her waist and lower them to the ground…

A loud thud and metal creaking above made her look up, relief flooding over her in a tidal wave when she found Chat standing in an empty carriage of the Ferris wheel just above her. Wordlessly he held a hand down, beckoning for her to help him reach the victim, and with a bit of effort, they managed to lift the victim into the carriage safely.

Ladybug had just breathed a sigh of relief when she felt her hand slip, and with a jolt, she slid a few inches down the pole. Chat’s eyes widened in alarm as he leaned down from the carriage again, helping her up and pulling her flush against him once she was in the carriage.

“I thought I told you to be careful” he murmured, resting his chin on her head for a moment. She shut her eyes and enjoyed being close to him for a second, feeling her pounding heart begin to slow its furious beating in her chest, before pulling herself away from him. Chat said nothing as she purified the victim, drawing the venom from a wound on the girl’s hand, before using the miraculous cure to destroy it as the victim began to wake up. Around them the wave of pink Ladybugs swept the city, restoring the damage the Yokai had caused, while they tried to offer comfort to the confused victim. The girl had been walking home from school when she was attacked it seemed, but couldn’t remember much more than that. Ladybug made sure the Ferris wheel operator knew the girl was on the ride before she and Chat left, reuniting with Rena Rogue on a rooftop garden nearby.

“Did neither of you find her?” Rena asked immediately, standing up from the bench she’d been sitting on. Both Ladybug and Chat shook their heads, Chat’s ears lying flat in his hair as he did so.

“Have you seen Carapace come back yet?” Ladybug asked, beginning to worry for the turtle hero now.

“I saw him just before I saw you rescue the victim, he was heading south from here” Chat frowned. Rena chewed on her lip.

Ladybug both jumped and felt a wash of relief when her yoyo rang, flipping it open to an image of Carapace hiding in the shadows somewhere.

“We were just talking about you. Any luck?” she asked him.

“Knew my ears were burning” the hero in green responded lightly, keeping his voice quiet as he looked over his shoulder at something off the screen they couldn’t see. “I found her,” he told them softly “probably wouldn’t have if she hadn’t moved, but I followed her. I don’t think she saw me. I’m guessing this is her address.”

“Where?” Rena asked, pushing her face against Ladybugs to see the screen with her.

“Just give us the address,” Ladybug told him, pushing Rena back with a hand to her face, grimacing as she did so. Carapace gave them the address, told them how to find his hiding spot, and without another word they took off after him, arriving within ten minutes.

Carapace saw them, waving them into the shadows of a long-abandoned bird shed on a rooftop. It was cramped with the four of them inside, but they didn’t complain, peeking through dark mesh-covered windows at the row of terraced houses Carapace was pointing at.

“That one, in the middle with the round attic window that’s open” he breathed, as though worried she’d hear him even over the distance “I saw her go inside, she didn’t leave again so I’m guessing she’s still home.”

“So, LB, what’s the plan?” Rena asked, elbowing her leader lightly in the side.

Ladybug didn’t immediately respond, half bent to peer through the window, watching the house keenly for any sign that something was amiss. But it looked normal, plain, the perfect place for a single mother to raise her teenage son of course. The last place anyone would expect a vengeful villain to live. She caught herself momentarily thinking that at least Gabriel had been easy to believe, living in his cold mansion, isolated by his own choice from nearly everyone, including his own son.

“…Did you see anyone else in the house?” she asked after a few moments of them waiting for her to respond to Rena’s question.

“No, I couldn’t see anyone” Carapace shook his head.

“Alright…” she pursed her lips, thinking for a moment “alright. Enenra should be in there alone, with any luck we might be able to take her by surprise. Rena, Carapace, I want you to stay outside the house. Out of sight, but nearby, keep an eye on the front and back. If she tries to escape, stop her. Chat, I want you with me, we’re going to go in through the attic window and if we’re lucky we’ll be able to end this today. Sound good?”

Wordlessly the other three nodded, and after sharing a glance, Ladybug slunk out of the old bird shed towards the house, Chat trailing after her like a shadow. They remained unseen as they got to the right roof, hiding behind the chimney until they got a clear shot to sneak in through the window. Chat went first, taking the lead without waiting to see if she would protest about it, and she was left to follow him – nearly crashing into his back as she landed in the attic right behind him.

“I thought something was wrong when I realised the fox was using illusions,” a voice said, a feeling of dread forming in the pit of Ladybug’s stomach as she tried to peer around Chat, but he had his arms half spread, trapping her behind him. Under his arm though she was able to get a glimpse of Enenra sitting on a stack of plastic storage boxes across from them, clearly waiting.

“We don’t have to fight Sophia,” Ladybug said clearly, trying to sidestep Chat, but finding herself trapped between his protective stance and the wall “we can end this here, if you surrender.”

“So you do know who I am, I did wonder” the other woman raised her eyebrows, but didn’t sound shocked by the information “tell me, how did you find out? Oh no- let me guess, it was my leg, wasn’t it? Quite the scar your faithful little side-kick gave me, isn’t it!”

“He’s not my side-kick” Ladybug protested.

“Want another one?” Chat growled at the same time.

Enenra laughed coldly, the sound nothing like the warm laugh they had both heard from her as Sophia, there was no genuine humour or happiness in it. “Oh my, touched a few nerves there I see. Well, I have no intentions of surrendering, not when humans are still wielding miraculous without consequence!” she slipped off the boxes, swaying on her feet as she smirked at Chat “well kitty, think you can do more damage to me before I damage your precious little Ladybug again?”

“Chat, wai-!” Ladybug tried to protest, but it fell on deaf ears as the feline hero in black leather let out a feline growl that rumbled deeply from his chest, abandoning his protective stance and leaping towards his prey.

Enenra darting out of the way quickly, lifting her staff to try to slam it back down on Chat’s back, but he twisted faster than she expected, her staff clanging off his own baton before her blow could land, the pair of them grimacing as they pushed back. Ladybug used her yoyo, wrapping it around Enenra’s wrist and pulling, making her lose her grip, giving Chat the advantage as the staff and baton slid against one another, and Enenra growled in frustration. She pulled on the yoyo string around her wrist to pull it off, dodging Chat’s incoming punch by ducking, sweeping her leg out to trip him. He fell to the floor with a crash, where Enenra was quick to gain the advantage, stepping on his throat, she held her poisoned tail over his chest, a bead of inky black venom pearling at the pointed tip, making Chat freeze at the sight, though he continued to snarl up at her, his ears flat in his hair and tail slashing angrily.

The whole fight had lasted mere seconds, though it felt longer, each move as though it had been done in slow motion, and Ladybug watched in horror as the poisoned tip of Enenra’s tail remained dangerously close to Chat’s chest, right over his heart.

“That was fun” Enenra panted “but enough – are you paying attention?”

Heart thudding loudly in her chest, Ladybug could only nod, her eyes fixed on Chat.

“Good. Now, I want your miraculous. Then you’re going to tell me the name of your guardian, and where he is. Do you understand? Do this, and I’ll leave you, your city, your little side-kick here, everyone, in peace? Doesn’t that sound good? Yes? Good, so, do we have a deal Ladybug?”

At the sound of her name falling from Enenra’s lips, she managed to tear her gaze from Chat, into the scorpion holder’s black eyes. There was no emotion to see there, no hint of honesty or deception, but she knew in her gut that what she said wasn’t the truth. If she gave up her miraculous, she knew Enenra would poison Chat anyway, and without Tikki, she’d have no way to save him. She’d probably use that as an opportunity to steal the Black Cat miraculous too.

“If I give you my miraculous… you’ll hurt him anyway,” she said, her voice flat, praying that whatever she was about to say or do wouldn’t get Chat hurt. “There is no escape for you now, not today, we have you surrounded, and even if you do somehow manage to escape us today, we have your name. We know who you are, and we will find you. We don’t even need a miraculous to do that, you should really meet my friend Rena, she’s very stubborn and not much can stop her when she puts her mind to something. Personally, I’d hate for her to be looking for me.”

This seemed to give Enenra pause, and she hesitated for a moment, doubt and worry passing fleetingly over her expression before her mouth twisted into a snarl again “shut up, shut up! Are you stupid? Do you really want me to hurt him?” she shouted incredulously, pointing down at Chat, stepping harder on his throat in a warning and making him gasp involuntarily.

Ladybug half-stepped forward at his distressed noise, but had to hold herself back from diving on Enenra, not willing to risk it when her poisoned tail still hovering so close to him. Something about the way she spoke made Ladybug ask her “… do you want to hurt him?”

Enenra gave a frustrated hiss “what I want doesn’t matter, don’t you see? It’s what needs to happen. For the good of everyone! We don’t deserve the miraculous, humans, people, we can’t be trusted with them! We’re flawed, impure, corrupt… why can’t you see that?”

“Because I don’t disagree with you” Ladybug confessed, shrugging slightly “I’ve had my miraculous a long time… I’ve seen people doing some… some truly terrible things. But I’ve also seen them do wonderful things too. There’s balance.”

Enenra seemed surprised to hear Ladybug agree with her, her foot on Chat’s neck loosening a bit to the point he could take a few deep breathes, though he continued to snarl up at her, never once letting his glare waver from her face, his hands against the ground twitching, clearly wanting to move and free himself, but not willing to risk getting poisoned either. Above him, Enenra scowled, opening her mouth to argue again, when she was interrupted.

“Mom?”

The three of them glanced towards the staircase, previously unnoticed by both Chat and Ladybug since it was obscured by a few storage boxes, where a head barely peeked around the corner of the boxes, bright blue eyes brown wide and brunette hair a mess.

“Avery…” Enenra breathed, sounding horrified “Ave-ah, wh-what are you- it’s not… it’s not what it-“

“Mom” Avery repeated again, stepping further into the room. He looked around, taking in the scene before him, but didn’t seem confused at all by what he saw. The teenager sighed, “Mom… let him go. Please?”

“I… but…” Enenra stuttered, clearly not sure what to do now she was confronted by her son. Ladybug tried to keep her eye on both of them, while noting the way Chat’s hand kept twitching, anticipating that he may try throwing Enenra off him while she was distracted.

“Mom-“Avery changed his tone, trying to sound firmer as he stepped further into the room – walking into a stack of storage boxes and wheeling backwards in an attempt to overcompensate for the mistake, Ladybug moved the second she saw he was in danger of falling down the un-hatched stairs he’d just appeared from, catching him by the arms as he flailed.

“Don’t touch him!” Enenra screamed venomously, her entire body tensing, leaning harder against Chat’s throat and making him gasp.

“He was going to fall,” Ladybug told her calmly, flicking a glance towards Chat to be sure he was okay, before pulling Avery back onto his feet and a few steps more away from the stairs. He seemed relieved, and when she did let him go she noticed the way he held a hand out to his side until he touched the boxes he’d walked into, using them as a guide.

The teenager took a deep breath and tried again “Mom, let Chat Noir go.”

“I, but… Avery, you don’t…” she looked away from him “you’re not supposed to come up to the attic Avery, you know it’s dangerous for you.”

“Mom.”

“I’m doing this for you, Avery. For your father. Go back downstairs, we’ll talk about it later.”

“No, mom. It needs to stop. You need to stop, whatever reason you have for doing this, it’s not me, and it’s not dad so don’t use us as an excuse!” Avery shouted, clenching his fists.

Ladybug assumed this wasn’t a normal occurrence for him, because Enenra looked aghast, her shoulders drooping as she stared at her son. Ladybug held her breath, waiting, and sighed when Enenra stepped back after a moment, releasing Chat, and whispered something. She was surrounded by purple light for a moment, her transformation dropping, but Ladybug didn’t stand to watch, moving forward to help Chat onto his feet. He didn’t need much help, but gratefully took her hand as she pulled him up, standing close behind her as they turned back to the de-transformed Sophia standing before her son, a purple kwami floating tiredly by her shoulder.

“Avery…” Sophia sounded defeated as she whispered his name “I’m sorry…”

Avery moved forward carefully and hugged his mother, tightening his grip when she hiccupped and gasped like she was shocked, wrapping her arms around him too, falling to the floor together as they held each other.

Looking up at Chat over her shoulder, Ladybug found him watching the entire scene before them with wide eyes, his expression unreadable. Sighing herself for what she knew she had to do, she stepped closer, as she did was able to hear their muttered conversion.

“Mom… mom why would you do this?”

“I… I had to… for you, for your father… for the family, we never got to be…” Sophia sniffed.

“Perhaps it’s time to stop now,” the purple kwami said, rubbing Sophia’s cheek in a way that reminded Ladybug of Tikki.

Sophia became aware of Ladybug standing over them now, and peered up at her, eyes still wet with tears and a look of resignation on her face as she sniffed and nodded. Ladybug felt pity swell in her chest for the other woman, no longer seeing a person who let hate and vengeance rule over them, but a broken woman lashing out in anger and fear. Sighing, she knelt down beside the crying mother and son, and asked “what happened to you, Sophia? Why did you do all this?”

Sophia snorted angrily, a harsh reply on the tip of her tongue, but caught sight of her son and the expression on her face softened, and she sighed instead. Meeting Ladybug’s gaze she began “I’m from some nowhere town in a nowhere place, we didn’t have much, but we had heroes. I know it works differently everywhere I go, but where I’m from the miraculous are kept within certain families, so any children from those families are watched over by the guardian for potential from a very young age. Because of that… I was given my miraculous, and Pincher here, when I was twelve.”

Sophia opened her hand for Pincher, the purple kwami, to sit on, which he did so, looking grateful and content to listen to her story.

“I was given a partner too – Aves. He held the roadrunner miraculous, and… he was annoying. He was so irritating, always showing off, I hated him… until I didn’t” Sophia chuckled “I guess, spend enough time with someone, hate can turn into something much more special… but we were young, and we were stupid.”

“I was fifteen when we found out I was pregnant” Sophia confessed bluntly, running a hand through her hair “I didn’t know what to do… I knew my family would be furious. So I told the next best thing to my family – I told my guardian. And she… she decided it was too dangerous to send a pregnant teenager on a mission, so she sent Aves out alone and… and… he didn’t come back. She told him it wasn’t dangerous, that he didn’t need a partner, and it got him killed. I was furious. I didn’t even get to tell him…”

Sophia sniffed, fresh tears running over her cheeks, and gave a bittersweet smile when she felt Avery’s hand give hers a comforting squeeze. She had never told him the story before, only that his father had passed away before he was born, and tears were running down the boy's cheeks silently too. “You look so much like him sometimes…” she told Avery softly, before clearing her throat and meeting Ladybug’s eyes as she continued “the man who killed my Aves was after the miraculous box. He’d been a holder once, but the guardians removed his miraculous when he abused its power for his own gain, and he wanted it back. He wanted them all. If he hadn’t been so greedy, Aves would be here. If the guardian hadn’t been stupid enough to send him out alone, maybe he’d have met his son.”

“I’m sorry,” Ladybug said, not knowing what else to say when there was nothing appropriate to be said, feeling her own eyes sting with unshed tears as she imagined the heartache and anger she must have felt.

Sophia snorted, like she didn’t quite accept the condolences, and continued in a firmer voice “I know the rumours, but I didn’t kill my guardian. I’ve never killed anyone, and I didn’t destroy the miraculous I took either.”

“She didn’t” Pincher nodded in her hand, looking up at Ladybug “she didn’t kill anyone, though she may have hurt them, she made mistakes – she knows she should be punished for that –“the kwami gave her a stern look, and Sophia nodded glumly, looking away “but I never let her forget the name of everyone she hurt. Never, not one.”

“You nearly killed me” Ladybug pointed out, the words dropping from her lip before she could stop them.

“No one else ever resisted me like you four did” Sophia admitted uncomfortably “I don’t like hurting people… but I didn’t know what else to do. I thought maybe if you were hurt badly enough you’d get scared… I’m not telling you I’m a good person. I know I’ve made terrible decisions, and I won’t ask for forgiveness – from anyone” she gave a pointed look towards Avery “-I don’t deserve it, but neither do some of the people I’ve hurt.”

“I don’t forgive you, mom,” Avery said slowly, “not for hurting people. But you’re still my mom, and you’re a great mom, I love you – even if I don’t forgive you.”

“I love you too, son” Sophia sighed, almost as though his words where a relief to her, wrapping a hand around her son’s head to hold him close to her, glancing towards Ladybug as she did “so… you’ve caught me. I won’t fight you anymore. Not if he doesn’t want me to. Now what?”

Ladybug stood up again and thought about it. In all the scenarios she had thought of, none had ended like this. She glanced over her shoulder towards Chat for help, but found he had turned away from them towards the window, shoulders and back stiff. She frowned at that, but couldn’t leave Sophia and Avery alone right now to go to him. Thinking for a moment, she eventually looked back at them “you need to face the consequences for what you’ve done, but I won’t take you to the police right now. I’ll give you one more night with your son, not because you deserve it but because he does, understand? Tomorrow I’ll give you the chance to turn yourself in. But I’ll need to take your miraculous now.”

“My miraculous” Sophia muttered, twisting the bracelet around her wrist and frowning “but-“

“Sophia” Pincher spoke, floating in front of her face “it’s time.”

“But… you’ve always been…” Sophia had fresh tears in her eyes again as her kwami hugged her cheek.

“I know, and despite everything, I’m glad I got to be with you through it all” Pincher told her, sniffing “but it’s time to stop this, a final goodbye for you and I.”

Sophia squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head “I… I can’t… you’re my family!”

“You’ve got more family now,” Pincher told her sadly, floating away towards Avery.

“Mom, it’ll be okay” Avery tried coaxing her “you’ll always have me. No matter what, I promise. Please… I don’t want to have to move again, I know why we were always moving now, you were following miraculous, but I like it here mom… I have a life here, and friends, a school… please.”

Sophia opened her eyes, staring at her son, and with a final tearful look between herself and Pincher, she tore the bracelet from her wrist and thrust it into Ladybug’s waiting hand. The kwami had a moment to look contently relived before he faded, too tried to remain corporeal without anyone wearing his miraculous.

“Thank you,” Ladybug said, taking a step back with the miraculous in her hand. “I’ll come back tomorrow…”

The red-spotted hero had turned away, finding Chat Noir had disappeared completely from the attic, when she was distracted by a sniffled “Why?” from behind her.

Already frowning because of Chat’s disappearance, she looked over her shoulder where Sophia was scowling at her, still hugging her son. “Why?” she asked again “why are you being so nice to me?”

“I believe in second chances” Ladybug shrugged after a moment “if you hadn’t chosen to give me the miraculous and spend your last night free with your son, then I’d have taken you in right now. But you chose him… and I trust that you’re going to think of him, and what’s best for him, rather than your revenge.” She explained, before giving her a hard look “but if you try to run, I will find you. That’s your only warning.”

She turned away again, and nothing else was said as she left the crying mother and son in their attack, crawling out of the window swiftly and looking around when she stood on the rooftop to see Chat, but he was nowhere in sight. Scowling, she swung her yoyo, not caring now if she was seen or not, and retreated back to the rooftop with the old bird shed where she’d left Rena and Carapace to wait.

The fox and turtle hero where still there, but Chat wasn’t with them she noted.

“What happened?” Carapace asked immediately.

“You won?!” Rena half-shouted, pointing at the scorpion miraculous clenched in her fist.

“Kind of, it got more complicated than that. Did you see Chat leave?” Ladybug asked.

“Yeah, about ten minutes ago, he just took off. We thought maybe you’d sent him to fetch the police or something?” Rena said, after exchanging a glance with Carapace, the turtle hero nodding along with her.

“No, I don’t know why he left, but… look I’ll explain later, I’m worried about him and need to find him, but we’re not turning her in to the police tonight.”

“Wait, what? Why?!” they both asked at the same time, sounding equal parts angry and confused.

“Long story short, she turned over her miraculous willingly and we’re giving her one more night to say goodbye to her son before she turns herself in.”

Rena and Carapace exchanged a look “is that wise?” Nino asked.

“I think what he means is what if she tries to run?” Rena amended “I don’t want her getting away with what she’s put everyone through the last few months!”

“I don’t think she will, and even if she does, we know her identity. If she runs and we release it, where is she going to hide? Besides, we have her miraculous. But if you’re worried feel free to stay here and watch all night. I need to go and find Chat…” Ladybug sighed, feeling her patience begin to wane as the nagging urge to find Chat began to grow.

The other two exchanged another look before Rena folded her arms “no offence ‘Bug, I just don’t have the same optimistic faith in people you do. I think I’ll stick around a little longer and make sure nothing weird is going on. Hard to believe she’d be willing to go from psycho-rips-holes-in-ears to missing-compliant-civilian.”

“Fair enough” Ladybug shrugged. She could understand Rena’s scepticism, truthfully she wouldn’t be all that shocked if Sophia did do something stupid like trying to run, but she had faith that she’d choose what was best for her son and stay.

Rena seemed to accept this response and turned away, focusing on the house again, while Carapace met Ladybugs stare with his own. “Is he okay?” he asked, confusing her for a brief second before she realised he was referring to Chat.

“I don’t know” she answered honestly “all of this has been hard on him. But I’ll find him.”

“Alright,” the turtle hero nodded “let me know.”

“I will” she promised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said no more cliffhangers for Christmas, right?


	30. Chapter Thirty

Ladybug landed on a rooftop near Adrien’s apartment, able to see the dark windows from where she was, and felt her stomach lurch. For one horrible second, the thought crossed her mind that he could have run away again, left the city, left his friends, left her. Just like six years ago. The very thought made her feel sick, so the relief she felt when she swung her yoyo around and landed on his balcony to find him standing there, his back to her as he looked out over the city, almost made her forget why she was so worried about him the first place.

Almost, but not quite.

“Spots off” she whispered as she slipped through the open glass door to his apartment to hide the pink light that transformed her, getting the sense that he wanted quiet, and more than aware that his hearing was good enough when not transformed that he would have heard her the second she stepped onto the balcony anyway. Tikki reappeared silently, casting a concerned look towards Adrien on the balcony, before joining Plagg on a nearby table where he sat under one of the houseplants, rubbing him between his ears. Plagg barely acknowledged them, watching Adrien, until Marinette placed the inactive scorpion miraculous on the table beside the two kwamis.

“He hasn’t said anything since we came back” Plagg whispered, glancing up at Marinette, but his toxic green gaze soon going back to the blonde on the balcony.

Mari chewed her lip, looking at Adrien’s back, before turning back to the kwami’s and giving them her best reassuring smile “don’t worry, I’ll go talk to him. You two should go eat something, you both did brilliantly today.”

“C’mon Plagg” Tikki tugged his little arm until he floated away with her towards Adrien’s kitchen “that’s it stinky sock, let's find you some of that horrible cheese you love so much.”

“Better than your yucky cookies, sugar cube” she heard Plagg retort before they disappeared.

Marinette rubbed her arms as she stepped back onto the balcony, now bereft of the warmth and projection the Ladybug suit had offered her, she was left in the clothes she had been wearing before they transformed – her jeans, socks and holy jumper not quite enough to protect her from the chilly wind. She joined Adrien at the edge of the balcony, watching him for a moment, but he never turned to her, frowning out at the city while holding onto the metal rail of his balcony with a white knuckle grip. She was almost sure he knew he was there, but if he didn’t want to talk yet, she wouldn’t force him too. But he didn’t need to be alone either. So she stood with him on his balcony, the cold wind nipping at her skin as it seeped in through the holes of her jumper, and her feet starting to feel like blocks of ice despite her woolly socks, watching as the sky turned from yellow, to pink, and finally purple as the city began to light up around them.

With the setting of the sun however came a significant temperature drop, and she was unable to surprise an involuntary shudder after another gust of wind swirled around them. Maybe it was her shivering, or possibly the chattering of her teeth that seemed impossibly loud no matter how hard she clenched her jaw, but Adrien finally glanced at her.

“Are you cold?” he asked tonelessly, giving her an appraising look.

She had her arms wrapped around herself and she wouldn’t be surprised if her lips were turning blue, so there was no point lying to him. Instead, Mari shrugged as nonchalantly as she could (though she was fairly sure her shoulders might have frozen making the motion stiff) “I’m o-okay. What about you? Are you okay?”

Adrien tutted, hearing the tremor in her voice as she tried to hide her chattering teeth, and turned her around physically with an arm on her shoulder, steering her into the apartment behind them as he rubbed bother her arms with his hands to warm her up. “I’m fine, why wouldn’t I be? And you’re frozen! C’mon, I’ll make some coffee. Or hot chocolate! Would you prefer hot chocolate? I can't make it like you can, but I have some powered stuff that’s pretty decent so-“

“-Adrien” she stopped him mid ramble, watching as he moved quickly around his own kitchen, opening and closing cupboards without removing anything from them. He paused when she said his name, hand still outstretched as if to grab something, and she was able to see a tremor going through him too, though she wasn’t sure if it was because he was cold too, or some other reason. “Adrien, it’s okay if you're not okay. You can talk to me.”

Adrien’s arm dropped back to his side, but she could still see the way he trembled, and he remained facing away from her. For a moment, the silence was the only thing that reigned in the apartment, she couldn’t even hear them taking a breath, realising in that second that she was actually holding her breath in anticipation, waiting to see if he would answer.

“Why…” she eventually hear him ask, so gently she almost missed it “why… why couldn’t my father choose me, the way Sophia chose her son?”

Marinette felt frozen on the spot, his question hanging in the silence between them, as her heart shattered into a million pieces for him. She wanted to move, to touch him, to reassure him that Gabriel was wrong not to have chosen his son, but her feet wouldn’t obey, like she was caught in some spell he’d cast over her with his harrowing words.

Adrien, it seemed, had no problem moving, and when she didn’t respond to his question he span around to face her. She could see his eyes wet, unshed tears glistening as he continued “She didn’t even hesitate. Why couldn’t my father still love me like that after what happened to my mother? I tried… I tried so hard and… why… what’s wrong with me?”

It was like the spell that held her frozen shattered suddenly, and she rushed to him, holding her arms out at around the same time Adrien seemed to crumple in on himself, catching him and lowering the pair of them to the floor of his kitchen just as Avery had caught Sophia when she had collapsed crying in his arms only hours ago. Marinette couldn’t decide the best way to hold Adrien, and found her hands kept moving, roaming over his back in soothing circles, over his neck, into his hair, gripping his shoulders, able to feel the way he shuddered against her, gasping for breath as he finally released the tears he had been holding, burying his face into the crook of her neck and his arms wrapped tight around her waist as he clung to her. She tried to make calming sounds, whispered to him that he was okay, that she was there and she wasn’t going anywhere, letting him cry against her while his tears only served to stoke the burning fire that had once again flared up in her chest. Not for the first time she wondered how Gabriel could have done this to his son, if he even knew the sever effects his treatment of Adrien had affected him, or if he even cared. Worse, she found herself wondering if Adrien had ever had anyone to cling to the way he was clinging to her now in the six years he was gone after his father’s arrest…

Her shoulder was damp from Adrien’s tears by the time she felt his sobs begin to subside. Plagg and Tikki had also come into the kitchen quietly, watching from the top of his fridge with concerned expressions as they all waited for him. Marinette was trying not to move, still rubbing his back as she held him, but her knees had long since gone numb against his kitchen tiles and she was beginning to get pins and needles in her toes.

“I’m sorry” Adrien whispered eventually, pulling away from her slightly, but not far enough to slip out of her hold, or drop his own hold on her waist.

“You have nothing to apologise for.”

“But… your jumper is wet…”

“It’s a jumper” Marinette shrugged, giving him a reassuring smile “it can be cleaned. Don’t worry about it.”

“…okay…”

“Adrien… have you ever spoken to anyone about what happened with your father?” she asked him gently, shifting slightly to take her weight off her legs, but being careful not to make him think she was leaving – she felt his hold on her waist tighten at the movement she made anyway, and wondered if he would hold her tighter if she did try to move further away.

He hesitated. “No.”

Mari nodded “maybe you should. I don’t just mean me – but I’ll be here, anytime you want to talk, I'll always be here, but I mean a professional. It might help you get some things off your mind.”

He didn’t look convinced, but nodded.

“Adrien…” Mari lifted her hand to his cheek, forcing him to look at her “I mean it, I’m not complaining that you talked to me. If you want to sob, scream, rage, yell I will always be here with you. I just think it would help you, especially if it can help you see just how loved you are. Gabriel’s mistakes aren’t anything to do with you, they’re a reflection of himself, and I wish you’d stop baring the burden of them. You’re so kind, and sweet, and humble, braver than anyone I’ve ever met, loyal to the bone and, honestly, you make some of the worst jokes I’ve ever heard-“ they both chuckled at this, and she was relieved to see him smile genuinely again after the last few days “-and we all love you for it. You’re so, so loved. Our friends love you, my parents love you, Chloe loves you, Alya and Nino love you, Tikki and Plagg love you-“ she nodded towards the kwami’s on the fridge, and they snickered again when they saw Plagg mime throwing up which made Tikki cuff him around his ears softly “-I love you.”

Adrien’s breath caught as he stared at her intently, as though not sure he’d heard her right, and it was then that Marinette realised she had never actually told him she loved him. She’d always said she’d loved him in the past tense, but she had never told him how she felt about him now, at least not so straightforwardly, and felt a massive, invisible, weight she hadn’t even known was there lift off her chest as the words left her mouth.

“I love you” she repeated, bringing her other hand up to hold his other cheek, using her thumbs to wipe away the damp marks left behind by his earlier tears “I love you, so much, and… I might not be the person you wish had chosen you back then, but I’m choosing you now. I’ll always choose you, Adrien. Always.”

She barely had a moment to register before realising his lips where pressed against her own, his hand at the back of her neck holding her still, kissing her like a man possessed, and yet all too soon he was letting her go, leaning back, and suddenly she felt freezing cold again without him pressed against her.

Marinette pursed her lips in an attempt to chase away the last tingles she still felt from his mouth on hers, and reached down to entwine her hands with his, standing up from the kitchen floor and pulling him up with her. “Come on, it's too cold to be sitting on floors all night. Besides, neither of us has eaten anything since breakfast. How about I call for a pizza, and you can go and jump in the shower?”

Adrien nodded and after giving her hands a final squeeze he left her alone in the kitchen and headed towards his ensuite bathroom down the hall. Marinette watched him go, noticing that Plagg followed him, and waited until she heard the bathroom door shut before turning away, releasing the breath she had been holding.

She caught the knowing expression on Tikki’s face and felt her cheeks warm fiercely “not a word.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Tikki said in a sing-song voice, snickering a little behind her little paw “but I am proud you finally told Adrien how you feel.”

“Yeah…” Mari nodded, picking up a nearby phone so she had an excuse not to say anything more to Tikki as she dialled a local pizza place that Nino often recommended. After all, it didn’t really matter if Adrien hadn’t said he loved her back, right? No. No, he had a lot going on, obviously, she shouldn’t expect too much from him too soon.

After she called for the pizza she wandered around Adrien’s apartment trying not to snoop – though she had been here a few times now, enough to know what books he kept on his shelves – but also trying to occupy her racing thoughts. She was glad when she heard the buzzer, heading downstairs to collect the pizza, and finding Adrien fresh out of the shower when she returned holding the warm box, the smell of tomato sauce and hot cheese-making her mouth water. She noticed Adrien’s eyes where red and bloodshot again, fresher than they had been when he left the kitchen earlier or she would have just assumed it was from when he had cried earlier, but she didn’t say anything.

They didn’t bother with plates, eating from the box as they sat together on Adrien’s sofa, a movie on the television that neither of them where really watching. They had started off sitting on separate sofa cushions, but Adrien had quickly invaded her space after she’d sat down, leaning closer and putting an arm on the back cushions across her shoulders until she was tucked snugly against his side, one of his ankles crossed around hers on the floor. She still said nothing, and when they had finished eating she turned into him, laying a hand on his chest and resting her head there, listening to his heartbeat, finding the sound oddly comforting.

She couldn’t tell how long they lay there, watching the television without actually absorbing anything that happened in the movie, before Adrien finally spoke again.

“Will you stay here tonight?” he asked, voice sounding hoarse.

“Do you want me to?” Mari asked, turning her head up to see his face.

“Yes,” he didn’t hesitate to reply.

“Then of course I’ll stay.”

“…will you stay with me?”

Marinette blinked in surprise at the question. Despite however many times – and she’d long since lost count at this point – Adrien had fallen asleep at her apartment, even when it was planned, he’d always insisted on sleeping on her sofa. She wasn’t sure if it was just him trying to be gentlemanly, even after they had taken the next tentative step in their relationship and actually asked if he didn’t want to share her bed with her, or if he just knew that her small bed would probably not be able to accommodate the pair of them without some serious cuddling, but he’d never mentioned it before now.

She found herself nodding instead of actually answering him, sitting up again “I’ll stay with you… but… can I borrow something to sleep in?”

Adrien tilted his head as he considered her for a moment. After he had showered he had changed into his own pyjamas, and old grey shirt and a pair of loose black cotton pants, but he hadn’t considered her sleepwear situation when he’d asked her to stay. He tried to think if he’d have anything at all that would fit her, and remembered something suitable, trying not to smirk as the thought occurred to him. Nodding he tapped her shoulder until she let him get up again, grabbing her hand and tugging her towards his bedroom. She followed him obediently, and without a word, waiting patiently as he dug around his bottom drawer until he came across a scrap of black, tossing it towards her.

“I’ll have to find some shorts or something, but that should fit you” he muttered, going to his other drawer to search for some bottoms.

“It’s okay,” she told him, pausing at the door of the ensuite bathroom “just a shirt is fine,” she told him, disappearing into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her with a click.

Inside the bathroom Marinette removed her jumper, folding it neatly and setting it down on the countertop before she unrolled the black shirt he’d lent her, feeling her eyebrows raise when she caught a glimpse of the coloured stripes over the chest in the mirror, and giving her reflection a wry smile. How many times had she seen Adrien wear this very shirt when they were in school? It had obviously been one of his favourites, he’d worn it practically every day, and when she asked to borrow something to sleep in he immediately thought of this shirt. Her heart warmed with affection, slipping out of her bra and into the old shirt. She wasn’t that surprised when it was still loose on her, falling to her mid-thigh. When she removed her jeans and socks, seeing just how short the shirt landed of keeping her completely covered, she briefly wondered about asking him to renew that search for a pair of shorts or something for her to wear, but feeling an odd well of confidence she decided not to, folding her jeans and setting them down with her jumper, exiting the bathroom.

Adrien was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, when she exited. He turned towards her at the sound of the bathroom door opening, mouth open like he was going to say something, but soon forgot when he caught sight of her – his eyebrows disappearing under the hair that hung over his forehead.

Marinette felt herself shuffle under his stare and searched for something to say. “I’m surprised you still have this shirt, to be honest…”

“I like that shirt” was the only response Adrien could think of, sitting up, unable to drag his eyes from her “though… I think it looks better on you than it ever did on me.”

Marinette grinned, rubbing her arms again.

Adrien spotted the action and frowned “come here, before you get cold” he told her, in a tone that told her not to argue, patting the bed beside him. The second Marinette had crawled onto the mattress beside him Adrien dragged the blankets up, covering them both, tucking Marinette in around her chin and smiling when she giggled at him, before turning off the bedside lamp and shuffling down beside her, but not touching, finding himself oddly uncertain about doing so. They had never shared a bed before, unless you counted when she was sick after Enenra’s poison, and he wasn’t sure what she would find acceptable or not.

Marinette was equally aware of the awkward tension that had settled over them both, and though she desperately wanted to say something to break it, she couldn’t think of what. She wandered around just reaching out to touch him, after all, they cuddled fairly often, he always seemed to enjoy it, but… she was usually wearing more than just a shirt and her underwear whenever they did…

Somewhere in his apartment, a clock ticked the minutes away loudly, taunting them both.

After some time had passed, Adrien eventually blurted out into the dark a though that had been on his mind.

“I want to help her son.”

He felt, more than saw, her tilt her head “what?”

Adrien cleared his throat. “Sophia’s son, Avery… I want to help him. I mean… I’ve been there. I know what this is going to do to him. I want to help, if I can.”

The thought had been on his mind ever since he’d thought back on the whole situation while he was showering earlier. He had been in Avery’s shoes once, and he’d had no one to protect him from the fall out of his father’s crimes, and while he wasn’t sure what he could actually do about it, Adrien felt that if he could protect Avery from what he’d had to go through, then he should.

“When the media find out Enenra’s true identity they’ll tear the boy apart” he continued, and though he felt like shouting, he never raised his voice above a whisper, like the darkness around them and stolen any ability he had to make his voice louder “any music schools he got offers from will probably drop him, if Sophia was being honest about those offers… Avery’s life shouldn’t be ruined because of his mother’s choices.”

Marinette mulled over what he said for a few minutes, a few ideas taking shape in the back of her mind. “You’re right,” she told him, shuffling just a little closer in the bed and finding his hand with hers, entwining their fingers “and you’re a very kind man for thinking of it. We’ll help him, both of us together, I promise.”

In the dark, though she couldn’t see it, Adrien smiled and lifted their entwined hands so he could press a kiss to the back of hers.

“I’d choose you too you know.”

“What?” Mari frowned, confused.

“I’d choose you too” he repeated clearly, leaning forwards in the dark until his forehead pressed against her own. Feeling his confidence surge when she didn’t protest that small touch, he loosened his rip on her hand to wrap it around her waist, dragging her flush against his own body as he whispered: “because your smart, and beautiful, and brave, generous, amazing, and everything I could ever wish for in a girlfriend.”

“Oh, so I’m your girlfriend now?” Marinette whispered, teasingly, letting out a huff of laughter when he tickled her sides lightly in punishment.

“Yes, I’m pretty sure you are,” he said.

“Why’s that?”

“Because I love you,” he told her simply, his voice so honest she couldn’t doubt him “and you love me.”

“I do” she agreed gently, wrapping her arms around his middle and tucking her head against his chest to listen to his heartbeat again, finally feeling her eyelids becoming heavy.

“No, that part comes after I ask you to marry me.”

She snorted “what did I tell you about your terrible jokes?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, folks, technically the end. The next chapter is the epilogue, and I'm debating a few one-shot follow ups


	31. EPILOGUE

Not even the upbeat music still dancing through the air could chase away the exhaustion Marinette was beginning to feel, leaning against countertop where no one could see if she removed her shoes for a second, the new heels threatening to start shredding her feet if she took even one more step.  
It was her own fault really, she shouldn’t have left buying shoes until the last second, knowing they would need to be broken in to avoid pains such as these. But what could she say, it had been a busy month, and she was more than a little distracted.  
It was the opening day of her new shop Miraculous designs, and thanks to her skyline dress debuting in the Agreste spring fashion line released a week earlier, the footfall through her store on the first day had been more than either she or Adrien could have anticipated. Since opening that morning she had been on her feet, greeting and helping potential customers and clients, answering questions and just general schmoozing. Adrien had warned her just how much schmoozing would be involved, but she was still surprised.  
Thankfully she’d had her friends to help. Adrien had been present since he was, technically, the actual owner of the shop and he’d been able to come to her rescue whenever she needed it, though that was less than she’d originally thought she would. Alya was also there, doing her best to help customers where she could, though she referred to Marinette whenever a question was more than she could handle, but made up for it by trading stories with customers about how she’d watched most of the designs present come to life from sketches Marinette had doodled when she wasn’t listening to her best friend’s very important gossip. Nino was on the music, because he was, of course, right that no store opening was complete without a present DJ.  
Perhaps the biggest draw into the store though where the four designs she had made inspired by Chat Noir, Ladybug, Rena Rogue and Carapace. The four pieces stood on pedestals at the centre of the boutique, drawing the eye of anyone who entered the store immediately. There was a long flowy chiffon dress in various shades of orange and white for Rena, a sweatshirt and pants combo for Carapace, designed in various shades of green and turquoise, complete with shell pattern on the back for the sweatshirt that Nino just loved, a black suit with lime green trim for Chat (Adrien had already commissioned one for himself) and a satin black and red dress for Ladybug. The homage to the heroes was supposed to be subtle, but obvious, and appeared to be working. At least, none of the patrols thus far seemed to have noticed the four heroes themselves were working there anyway.  
Sighing as her feet continued to throb Marinette glanced around, only then noticing the magazine her new shop assistant – Johnathon- had left on the counter she was leaning on.  
She shouldn’t have been surprised to see Sophia’s mug shot staring up at her from the cover, some generic attention-grabbing title plastered over the bottom. Everyone in Paris had been going mad for more information ever since she’d turned herself in a month ago.  
True to her word, Sophia hadn’t tried to run that night she’d been left alone, and when Ladybug and Chat Noir returned the next day to take her in she didn’t argue. She’d let them take her to the police, confessed everything, without a single complaint. Perhaps because of the conversation they’d had with her and Avery before arresting her.  
Marinette and Adrien had discussed it when they woke up, and came up with a plan to save Avery from the torment Adrien himself had been subject to when his father was arrested. Thankfully this was made easier when Sophia had confessed that ‘Sophia’ wasn’t her real name, so when she was arrested it was her real name that got plastered across the news screens and papers all over the world. Secondly, Adrien used what influence he still had to fast track Avery’s transfer to a new school for gifted children, one that had offered him a place with their specialised music programme, and where no one had ever seen his mother before. The school was also willing to accommodate for Avery’s health needs, as it turned out Sophia had never been lying about her son’s illness. Though his condition came and went, with particularly bad periods, and good, his biggest issue came from the fact he was slowly losing his sight – which Marinette realised was why he had such trouble walking into things. Avery still had most of his sight, but struggled in low light or with things in his peripherals, and knew that as he got older he would probably lose more and more of his sight. Adrien was paying for his medical care now, and together they were exploring options for how Avery wanted to deal with this in the future.  
As of yet, no one had brought up the connection between Sophia and Avery, which suited them all well. Though Avery never wanted his mother to feel any less loved, and he still visited her often in the prison as she waited for trial, but at least his name wasn’t being papered across town as Adrien’s had been.  
They were even lucky enough that Avery was placed rather quickly with a foster family who lived near Marinette’s parent's bakery, and after she had introduced them to him, he had quickly been taken under her parent's wing and they made sure the ply him with treats and hot chocolate whenever he stopped by the bakery to do his homework after school. Even now, Avery had come to the opening of her store after he finished classes, and after Adrien had helped him with his science homework in the back office, he’d set up his violin near Nino’s DJ stand as they found a way to complement Avery’s music with Nino’s beats.  
Though no one had ever come out and said it, Marinette was pretty sure that Avery knew who she, Adrien, Alya and Nino really were. He was a bright boy, and the coincidence of having Chat and Ladybug offer to help him out, only to have Adrien and Marinette, and their friends and family be the ones to step in, was a pretty big clue. Oddly though, she didn’t mind. He wasn’t the type of boy to go around spilling the secret. She didn’t know if he had told his mother about it though, and wasn’t going to ask. Perhaps it was better for it to remain as one of those unspoken things.  
She had kept tabs on Sophia during her imprisonment, and was glad to find that thus far she was a model prisoner, never causing trouble, probably afraid they would rescind her visitation rights if she stepped out of line.  
When Master Fu had returned to the city a few days after news spread of Enenra’s imprisonment, Marinette and Adrien had returned the Scorpion miraculous to him- as well as all the other’s she’d stolen, eventually recovered from a bank vault she’d kept them in. She had also wanted to ask him about the rumour’s he’d told her back when he had first warned her about Enenra, and how dangerous she was, and was surprised when the old man had become embarrassed. He’d confessed that after leaving the city he had gone back to track down Enenra’s past for himself, eventually finding her original guardian, the one she was supposed to have murdered, only to find it was a lie that had been told to cover for the fact the guardian had failed to keep the miraculous safe. He’d apologised for being a part of spreading those rumour’s, but not for cautioning her, especially when he’d gotten a look at her scarred ear.  
Master Fu had also been glad to finally reunite with Adrien, and though Adrien had worried the old man would chastise him for running away with the black cat miraculous all those years ago, he’d felt an odd sense of relief when the old man had done nothing but hug him and tell him he was glad to see him finally come home.  
The thought of Adrien being ‘home’ had stuck oddly with Marinette for the last few days, ever since Adrien had announced to her that he had finally found a suitable replacement for Mr Renard at his company. At first, she’d been glad for him, knowing how much the search had stressed him out when he kept having to interview applicants, but then something else and crept in. Like a ball of lead, sitting in the pit of her stomach, it had taken her a while to figure out what was wrong.  
All those months ago, Adrien had been determined he would leave the city again once he found Mr Renards replacement. True, he hadn’t said anything about it again the last few weeks… but he hadn’t exactly said anything about staying here permanently either.  
“Earth to Marinette” a hand waved in front of her face, startling her, and she stepped backwards, trying not to wince when the shoes pinched her feet.  
Alya snickered “did you fall asleep on your feet or something?”  
“I think I might have” Mari nodded, trying to hide a yawn behind her hand as she looked around. How long had she been zoned out for? The shop was empty besides her, Nino, Avery and Adrien – the three boys helping Nino pack away his small DJ set up and load it into his car outside.  
“Well I can’t say you didn’t earn a power nap, today was hectic. I mean, it’s amazing, your first day and you had a literal line out of the door, but hectic. You might need to hire more staff.”  
Mari nodded “why, interested?”  
“How much do you pay?” Alya joked “Nah, I love my job. But I couldn’t do yours. Nino and I are going to drop Avery off at home, you and Adrien okay to lock up by yourselves?”  
“Yeah, we’ll be fine. It's our patrol night anyway” Marinette shrugged, walking with Alya to the door as Nino and Avery lifted the last of the DJ equipment into the trunk. Adrien retreated back to the shop, while Alya headed for the car.  
“See you later kids, don’t do anything we wouldn’t do” Nino yelled as he got into the car, winking. Behind him, Avery scrunched up his face like the last thing he wanted to do was imagine what Nino could possibly mean by that.  
After watching them drive away Marinette ducked back into the shop, removing her heels completely now that it was only her and Adrien and dropping into one of the armchairs by the window with a sigh.  
Adrien laughed “so, how do you like your new boutique miss-I-own-my-own-store-now?”  
“I think my feet are going to drop off as protest for wearing these torture devices known as shoes, but honestly, I love it,” she told him honestly.  
Adrien snickered, then swooped down to press a gentle kiss against her lips before pulling away “let’s hope not, but I’d still love you even if your feet did drop off in revolt” he told her cheerfully, walking into the back office for something.  
Marinette smiled despite herself, but felt that ball in the pit of her stomach grow heavier, standing up as she followed him slowly. She fretted with herself for a second, before eventually asking “so… how’s the new hire going, the replacement for Mr Renard?”  
“Huh?” she heard him ask from the other room “oh, pretty well actually. He knows what he’s doing so that’s good, and I don’t have to juggle managing a whole building on top of all my other work which free’s me up considerably.”  
“Oh, well, that’s good…” she trailed off as he entered the room again, giving her an odd look, clearly sensing there was more she wanted to ask. “So… does that mean you're going to leave Paris again, now you’ve found a replacement?” she ended up blurting.  
Adrien looked surprised, then amused “is that what’s been bothering you the last few days? I thought you were just worried about the shop opening!” he chuckled “but if you must know… I think I’ve found another reason to stay in the city.”  
“Oh yeah?” Mari asked, tilting her head as she recognised that playful look in his eye, turning away from him to tidy up the front desk, returning Johnathon’s magazine to a drawer and sorting through a few other bits of paper “what’s that?”  
She expected him to give her a playful answer, or something sarcastic that would make her turn around and playfully chase him, like he usually would. So she was surprised instead when he answered her in a very serious tone “I still need to ask someone something.”  
Frowning at his sudden change she turned, and gasped when she found him behind her on his knees, holding a black velvet box. She felt the work around them freeze for a second, getting to glimpse his fleeting expression of fear before it was replaced with something far more anxious.  
In a voice that sounded far more confident than he looked, he told her “I still need to ask the woman I love if she’ll do me the great honour of marrying me.”  
Marinette felt her mouth hang open in shock, not quite sure she believed what was happening, and when she failed to answer immediately Adrien’s anxiety took over and he started to ramble.  
“I know we’ve only been dating a short time, I mean a really short time compared with – but anyway. You don’t have to say yes… not right now, I could get a promise ring or something instead but… I saw this ring a few days ago and Nino basically dared me to buy it, and I’ve just been carrying it around ever since wondering if I should-“  
Mari pressed a finger to his lips gently, stopping him mid-sentence as she wiped at her eyes, stopping the tears that threatened to fall. Adrien frowned, worried he’d made her cry, but her finger was still pressed against his lips so he didn’t want to ask and upset her further.  
“We’ve waited long enough, don’t you think?” she asked him gently, watching as the words confused him, before the meaning struck him and his whole expression lit up.  
“Does that mean-?”  
“-Yes!”  
“-You will-?”  
“Of course!”  
Adrien stood and in one swift motion had picked her up, kissing her swiftly as he span her around a few times, never letting her feet touch the ground. When he finally did set her back down, he offered her the velvet box, which Marinette took with shaking hands to reveal the ring inside, it was an elegantly simple silver band with a red diamond set at the centre, with two white ones either side. She loved it, and found that for someone who claimed to have been dared into buying the ring, if fit suspiciously well on her ring finger…  
“So does this mean you're staying in the city?” she asked, teasingly.  
“Is that the only reason you agreed to marry me?” he joked “yes, I’m staying. Wherever you are, I’ll be.”  
“And you won't get bored now you don’t have Mr Renard’s job, or need to fly to all these exotic countries at the drop of a hat?”  
“Actually, I was thinking about possibly becoming a music tutor. I saw an advertisement for a piano tutor when I took Avery to tour his new school…” Adrien told her quite seriously, dropping his joking tone for a moment.  
“Really?” she was surprised, but glad, knowing how much he enjoyed music even if it had been one of the skills his father had pushed onto him as a kid “that’s great!”  
“I’m glad you think so m’lady” he grinned, retrieving her jacket from the back of the office door and holding it out for her to put on “besides you never know, in the future I might become a stay-at-home-dad for our, what was it Alya said, oh yeah, three children and a hamster?”  
Marinette felt her cheeks burn, eyes widening “remind me to murder Alya.”  
Adrien only laughed. “Are you ready for patrol bugaboo?” he asked, leading her out of the boutique's back door, where there was less chance of anyone seeing them transform.  
She snickered, scratching him beneath the chin and hearing the familiar rumble of a purr in his chest “only if you think you can catch me sweet kitty! Tikki, spots on!”  
“Claws out!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A PROPOSAL is how it ends. I wanted a happy note - is everything for them perfect, no. is life perfect? no. but are they happy right now? yes. that's a good end, in my book. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this story. I may be back with more Miraculous stuff soon, I have a cool idea for an AU story, as well as one-shot follow-ups to this, but we'll see how the year ends. Thank you to everyone who read, commented and gave kudos.


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